In a nail-biting finish at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru, Indian shooter Arjun Babuta delivered a memorable performance to secure silver in the men’s 10m air rifle event, narrowly missing out on gold to China’s shooting legend and Olympic champion Sheng Lihao by just 0.1 point.
Babuta showed great composure and class, especially after his heartbreak at the Paris Olympics, where he had finished just outside the podium. This time, he held his nerve all the way through, battling a field stacked with Olympic and world medalists to end India’s brief medal drought at the event.
The competition was fierce from the outset. Hungary’s seasoned shooter Istvan Peni, a veteran with more than 40 international medals, secured bronze. The final was packed with star power, including reigning world champion and Paris Olympic silver medalist Victor Lindgren of Sweden, and Norway’s Jon-Hermann Hegg, both joining Sheng and Peni in a high-stakes clash.
India had hoped for more than one medal, but an unfortunate technical error dashed those chances. Former world champion Rudrankksh Patil had been in fine touch but saw his 11th shot annulled by the jury due to a mistake. He took his 11th shot earlier than announced ‘ready’, and that point was ruled out by the referee. He opted out of the 12th shot and finished 8th.
Despite that setback for India, Babuta remained focused. He had earlier qualified with a score of 631.9 in the first relay, finishing just behind Sheng, who effortlessly posted a 635.0. Hegg followed with 632.6. Rudrankksh shot 632.0 in the second relay to top it, but placed third overall in qualification, while Lindgren, Peni, American Rylan Kissel, and Norway’s Halvorsen rounded out an elite finals lineup. Hriday Hazarika, the third Indian in the fray, narrowly missed making the cut with a score of 629.3, finishing 10th.
The final began with both Arjun and Rudrankksh shooting identical 10.1s. The early stages saw a tight contest among Hegg, Peni, and Sheng, but Arjun soon began to climb. By the 10th shot, he had moved into third place and continued his surge. After Rudrankksh’s unfortunate exit, Arjun stayed locked in and took the lead for the first time after the 14th shot.
While others faltered, Sheng launched his signature late comeback, stringing together precise 10.5s and even notching two perfect 10.9s. The first of those 10.9s brought him within striking distance, and the second, in the penultimate round, flipped a narrow 0.3 deficit into a lead. Arjun responded with a strong 10.5 on his final shot, but Sheng sealed gold with a 10.3.
Arjun’s performance was marked by exceptional consistency — not a single shot fell into the 9s. His shot sequence was as follows:
10.1, 10.5, 10.2, 10.7, 10.7, 10.6, 10.8, 10.5, 10.7, 10.6, 10.5, 10.4, 10.5, 10.3, 10.5, 10.6, 10.5, 10.5, 10.4, 10.6, 10.6, 10.3, 10.5.
Speaking to ISSF Media, Babuta said, “It feels great to be back on the podium. I have been missing out on the podiums in many of my last finals, starting from Paris and even in the nationals.”
Once the announcer confirmed his medal, he punched the air in celebration. It showed what this medal meant to him. “While we are in the range we should be focused and nothing should cross our minds but after that, we also should celebrate our achievements”, said Babuta. “They’re important.”