Olympics 2021: Manu Bhaker, Yashaswini Deswal falter on the home stretch, crash out of 10m air pistol event

India’s Manu Bhaker and Yashaswini Singh Deswal failed to make the cut for the eight-shooter final in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event at Olympics 2021 on Sunday.

Manu shot 575 out of 600 to earn the 12th spot, while Yashaswini scored 574 and was placed 13th in the field with 53 shooters. Celine Goberville of France was the last and eighth shooter to make the cut for the final. She shot 577.

For Manu, it was a case of yet so close yet so far. The teenage Indian shooter had a good chance to move up from 9th position to 8th with just five shots remaining in the 60-shot match.

All she needed was to stay focused. But she lost her grip on entering the home stretch. Manu’s 56th shot was 10. The next two shots were in 9. At that crucial juncture she could have made it to the medal round with a 10, but her last and final shot was 8, which dashed her hopes of entering the final.

Manu’s position in the competition changed constantly as she wasn’t steady in her shooting. She shot a series of 98, 95, 94, 95, 98 and 95 for a total of 575. Yashaswini shot a series of 94, 98, 94, 97, 96 and 95 for a total of 574.

Which shooters made it to the final of the 10m air pistol event at the 2021 Olympics?

The top eight shooters who made the cut for the final includes China’s Jiang Ranxin who topped the table with a score of 587. Lin Yuemei was the second Chinese shooter in the final with a score of 579. She finished fourth.

Anna Korakaki of Greece (585), Russia's Vitalina Batsarashkina (582), Mathilde Lamolle of France (578), Bulgaria’s Antoaneta Kostadinova (578), Olena Kostevych of Ukraine (577) and Celine Goberville of France (577) were the other shooters who have made the cut for the final of the event at the 2021 Olympics.