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In a jubilant show of perseverance, young pistol shooter Rhythm Sangwan has earned India's 16th Paris Olympic quota place. Hailing from Haryana, Sangwan's achievement came on Thursday (January 11) at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta as she bagged a well-deserving bronze medal in the 25m sports pistol event.
The 20-year-old shooter is known for her prowess usually in the 10m Air Pistol and 25m Pistol events. Her bronze medal marks the country's highest-ever number of quota places for the Olympic Games as Paris Olympics 2024 awaits.
Earlier, India had sent a pool of 15 shooters to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which was considered the highest until Rhythm bagged the country's 16th quota place for the upcoming Olympics.
Before Rhythm, Varun Tomar and Esha Singh earned India's 14th and 15th quota places in the ongoing tournament, earning silver and bronze, respectively, in the 10m air pistol category in the qualifiers.
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As far as the gold medal is concerned, China's Yang Jiin shone with pride, whereas Korea's Kim Yeji earned the second-place finish with a silver medal.
Rhythm's bronze medal counts to her remarkable tally in the current Asian Olympic Qualifiers as she ended in third place in the 10m air pistol event and won the silver in the mixed team event in the same category.
Rhythm Sangwan credits her coach for success in Asia Qualifiers
The young athlete has attributed her coach Vineet Kumar for her success. The shooter said in the post-match conference:
“I would like to thank my personal coach Vineet Kumar. It’s all because of him I’m here today. I would also like to thank all my supporters out there.”
While all her medals hold a significant place in her heart, Thursday's bronze, which earned her a quota, has a special place. On this, Rhythm Sangwan said:
“I think, all of them (three medals here) hold a special place in my heart. But, yes, I mean I could do this for my country... I could win the quota for my country, so, yes, it holds a special place. Thank you Vineet sir, keep your blessings.”
Notably, the 20-year-old's achievements also include shattering a 29-year-old record by Diana Iorgova during the Bhopal World Cup last year. Rhythm Sangwan's impressive score of 595 in the women's 25m pistol qualification round surpassed Diana's record of 594.
In the same event, the Haryana-born also attained the bronze for the country in the 10m Air Pistol category.
