Babuta finished fourth in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle event at the Paris Olympics 2024. (PC: Team RevSportz)S.Kannan in Paris
It’s not the end of the world, said Arjun Babuta, after finishing fourth in the men’s 10m Air Rifle final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. Such attitude and acceptance from Babuta, an Olympic debutant, showed that this generation of shooters is not going to weep after missing a medal.
Speaking to reporters after the final, Babuta said he had worked hard in the trials and prepared all along. The mind went back to the Rio Olympics in 2016, where two Indian marksmen – Abhinav Bindra, in his last Olympics, and Jitu Rai – finished fourth.
In the build-up for Paris 2024, Babuta had been in blazing form. The way he shot in the trials in New Delhi and Bhopal, he was hyped as a medal prospect. “Definitely, fourth is the worst position to finish in,” said Babuta. “Very hard to deal with. But I have to think and analyse whether I gave my 100 per cent or not. I need to check if I had a blind spot or not. Yes, fourth spot is like a heartbreak.”
The way he spoke, it was clear that he is destined for greatness, maybe by the next Olympics in Los Angeles. All those who have watched him train, compete and shoot will agree that he is the typical case of a shooter doing everything to excel on the big stage. “Maybe, there was a blind spot, I will need check with my coaches,” added Babuta.
There are many athletes from India who have come close to a bronze medal and then finished fourth. When the medal slips away by a whisker, it’s heartbreaking. If you watched Arjun shoot on Monday, he was relaxed and composed. Maybe, one shot made a difference, in hindsight.
But the way he dealt with the situation and spoke to the media was a clear sign that Babuta will move on. This is his first Olympics and he has made a great impact on debut. In the journey of shooters, the best have often needed three or four attempts to come near a medal.
Bindra won an Olympic gold medal on his third attempt at Beijing 2008. Gagan Narang also won a bronze medal after two previous failures. London 2012 was his happy hunting ground. Narang had also spoken of this generation being fearless.
Babuta exemplified it. Born in the border area of Punjab, Babuta had also done well in the mixed event with Ramita Jindal, where the pair finished sixth. He has that strong instinct to go for broke. At 25, he does not need to be morose about his efforts. They are sincere, and he will one day do justice to his talent and work ethic.