Ace Indian shooter Heena Sidhu crashed out of the Rio Olympics on Sunday after finishing 14th in the qualifiers for the 10m air pistol event. The world No 27 failed to replicate her gold medal winning performance at the 2013 World Cup. Out of a total of 44 athletes, Sidhu had to finish in the top eight to qualify for the finals, which were later in the day. The shooters were given four series of 10 shots each. The maximum points in a single shot was 10, which meant the total score would be out of 400 points.
In the first series, Sidhu shot 10, 9, 9, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 10 and 9, totalling 94. In the second series as well, she shot a total of 95, which left her 29th in the table. With two series remaining, she had to up her game if she was to make the cut. Hitting a 96 in the third, the effort came in a little too late for Sidhu, who had a total tally of 285 with just one series to go. A finish in the top eight looked next to impossible. Eventually, Sidhu scored 95 points in the fourth to crash out of the tournament. She ended with a total score of 380 and finished 14th.
Sidhu's ouster added to India's woes in shooting. On Saturday, Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul bowed out in the qualifying for the 10m air rifle event, finishing 34th and 43rd respectively. Later, Jitu Rai and Gurpreet Singh also failed to win a medal at the 10m air pistol event.
