"He also finished fourth and so have I" - Arjun Babuta draws comparison to Abhinav Bindra's Olympics campaign after disappointing exit
Having suffered the biggest heartbreak of his young career after missing out on a medal at the Paris Olympics, shooter Arjun Babuta is eager to learn his lessons and move on.
The 25-year-old gave a good account of himself in the final of the men’s 10-meter air rifle event at the Paris Olympics on Monday. He was going strong at the second spot and gave eventual gold medalist Sheng Lihao a run for his money before a poor shot at a crucial juncture saw his campaign fall apart and land him outside the medal bracket at the fourth position.
Despite the disappointment, the Punjab lad is taking solace from the encouraging words of the legendary Abhinav Bindra and is trying to focus on the future.
Bindra, who also finished fourth at the Rio Olympics in 2016, took to social media after Monday’s event to praise Babuta for his performance.
“He (Bindra) came to the games village to meet us last evening and gave out a lot of good advice. It is always good to listen to him as we are able to learn a lot. He explained that it is crucial to stay in the present and that is what I tried today,” Babuta told the media from Paris.
“He had also finished fourth and so have I. So he definitely understands the feeling. I may cry all I want, but it is important to move on from this disappointment,” he added.
At one stage during the final, Babuta seemed to be fighting for the gold medal and a place of honor in the annals of Indian sports. The shooter from Punjab’s Fazilka district was trailing world record holder Sheng Lihao of China by a mere 0.1 point but a poor attempt of 9.5 dashed all hopes of a podium finish.
“This experience will help me in future competitions. It was good to know that Bindra has a lot of expectations from me and I will try to do better. I will keep on giving my 100 percent just like before and I will keep on doing that. It was not my day today. But I hope to emerge winner in the future,” he said.
Arjun Babuta talks on focusing on mental strength
Recounting the tense moments during the final, Babuta felt that focusing on mental toughness would stand him in good stead in the future.
“There is a lot of mental battle involved. The top shooters in the world come to the Olympics and it is more of a mental fight because everyone is extremely strong as far as technique is concerned. Definitely the margin was extremely small. But I was not aware of that as I was trying to follow my process during the competition,” he remarked.
Talking about his journey to the Paris Olympics, Babuta said:
“It has been quite a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs. We Indian athletes have reached a position where are not happy by just qualifying but can aim for medals.”
“My journey was not easy. It took me 12 years to reach here. I could not make it to the Tokyo Olympics due to a back injury but I got a chance to represent the country at the Paris Olympics and I feel extremely grateful. I would have been happier if I was able to bag a medal,” he added.