New Delhi: Ramita Jindal and Arjun Babuta have taken different routes to the Paris Olympics, but on Sunday both tackled the demon of pressure with exceptional poise and confidence to qualify for the women’s and men’s air rifle final. The nerves were in play all the way during the tense 60-shot qualification in which they were hovering in and out of the top eight who make the final, but managed to squeeze in with a late flourish.

As the two fought for a final spot in the Olympics, back home Ramita’s father Arvind Jindal’s heartbeat had increased. Babuta’s coach Deepali Deshpande too was on the edge. In the end it was a huge relief. Ramita qualified in fifth place (631.5). The 20-year-old became the second woman shooter at the Paris Games – Manu Bhaker had lifted the spirits of the Indian contingent by winning the 10m air pistol bronze – to qualify for the final.

The more seasoned Elavenil Valarivan, competing in her second Olympics, missed out on the final by a whisker, after finishing 10th. A 9.8 in the fifth series undid her hard work. While Ramita came back stronger with every series to climb her way back, the 25-year-old Babuta was in crisis towards the end after a fine start. But he pulled it all together in the last five shots.

He had finished his 60 shots well in time and there was an anxious wait until he qualified in 7th place (630.1).

“It was touch and go, really,” said a relieved Deshpande, former international and Babuta’s coach. “He was doing fine till the fourth card – scoring nearly at an average of 105.5 but a slight dip in the fifth and he looked scattered. The first five shots of the last series also didn’t go that well but the last five shots he nailed it.”

“He finished early and others were going up and down, so I was feeling so nervous,” she said.

The anxiety was understandable. Deshpande had endured despairing moments as national coach at the Tokyo Olympics. On the first day of the competition in Paris, Sarabjot Singh (air pistol) finished 9th in qualifying and Valarivan (air rifle) too was unlucky on Sunday to finish at 10th place and be eliminated.

“All these things were playing in my mind. You don’t want another shooter to end in 9th or 10th place. The margin is so fine, one or two shots can cost you the final.”

Knowing Babuta’s ability to be precise, Deshpande was hoping he stayed in the moment. The was promising as a junior shooter but it has taken years to prove himself on the world stage. Consistent scores at World Cups in the last two years added to his confidence, helping him to emerge stronger after an injury (back) phase.

“He is a gifted shooter with an eye for precision, but he is never satisfied with his technique, etc. He has now learned to deal with situations better.”

At the Asian Championships last October, Babuta was in remarkable form. He won the quota place and gave a tough fight to China’s Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Sheng Lihao, who was the winner. Sheng topped the qualification at Chateauroux on Sunday.

While Babuta has come a long way, Ramita’s rise has been spectacularly fast. The youngster who started shooting in 2016 at Kurukshetra’s Ladwa has been almost unstoppable.

“Once she puts her mind into something, she is completely focussed, be it shooting or studies. She has scored high marks in 10th and 12th grades despite dealing with the pressure of shooting,” her advocate father Arvind Jindal said.

“There was a nearby shooting range opened by coach Jagbir Singh ji. Ramita and some of her friends started going there. Gradually she fell in love with the sport and her progress was very quick. She started giving results at state level and in university-level meets. Within a year she was in the nationals.”

Soon, she broke into the India team. In 2021, she competed at the World Junior Championships in Lima, winning bronze. She won gold a year later in Cairo. Last year, she made a big mark winning two medals at the Asian Games, including an individual bronze. At the Asian Championships, Ramita lost to Tilottama Sen as they fought for India quota. Sen won the quota, but a determined Ramita assured that the spot would be hers with a fine show in the Olympic selection trials.

“She is very committed and never worried about scores. That allows her to be very focussed and follow the process during competitions. If you see, today she was as low as 19th at the start but with every shot she emerged stronger,” said coach Deepak Dubey, who was with her at the world championships.

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