Arjun Babuta’s 4th Place Finish: India’s Latest Olympic Heartbreak

Arjun Babuta’s fourth-place finish in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the Paris 2024 Olympics has added to India’s list of near-misses in Olympic history. Babuta’s close call highlights a long-standing trend of Indian athletes narrowly missing out on podium positions.

Babuta’s Performance Competing at the Châteauroux shooting range, Babuta scored 630.1 points in the qualification round and advanced to the finals. Despite a strong performance, his final shot of 9.5 points left him in fourth place, just outside the medal positions.

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Historical Context India has experienced several near-misses at the Olympics:

1956: The Indian men’s football team finished fourth after an exciting semi-final loss.
1960: Milkha Singh narrowly missed a bronze in the 400m race.
1984: PT Usha finished fourth in the 400m hurdles by a mere 1/100th of a second.
2004: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi finished fourth in men’s doubles tennis.
2012: Joydeep Karmakar was fourth in the 50m rifle prone event.
2016: Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in the women’s vault final.
2020: The Indian women’s hockey team and golfer Aditi Ashok also finished fourth in their respective events.

Arjun Babuta’s near-miss at the Paris 2024 Olympics continues a poignant trend of Indian athletes falling just short of Olympic glory. His performance is a testament to the dedication and skill of Indian athletes, even as they come agonizingly close to the podium.

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