The 25-year-old para shooter Rubina Francis secured India’s fifth 2024 Paralympics medal as she won the bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol SH1 event with a final score of 211.1 in the final round. Rubina finished seventh in the qualification round, the same as she did three years ago in Tokyo. However, unlike Tokyo, where she finished in the seventh position in the final round as well, Rubina went on to secure a podium finish in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Earlier, in the qualification round, after trailing till shot number 14, she picked up the pace in the remaining shots and earned a place in the finals with a score of 556.
Iran’s Sareh Javanmardi won the gold medal with a final score of 236.8, while Turkiye’s Aysel Ozgan secured the silver medal with a final score of 231.1.
Who is Rubina Francis?
Born in 1999 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Rubina has been differently abled since birth. She faced physical and financial challenges in her early career, but with the support of her family and coaches, Rubina honed her skills and began competing at the national level.
Rubina’s breakthrough moment came in 2018 when she qualified for 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games. She earned qualification for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo but could not secure a medal. She earned another podium finish when she won the bronze medal in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games. However, she had to rely on the bipartite rule to get her place in the Paris Paralympic Games, but she made the most of the opportunity she was presented with and ended up with another medal in India’s overall medal tally.
First Published: Aug 31 2024 | 7:07 PM IS