 "Meet Rubina Francis, the shooter from MP who overcame leg dysfunction, financial hardships to win bronze at Paralympics")
Indian shooters continued to make merry at the Paris Paralympics with Rubina Francis becoming the latest to secure a podium finish with a bronze in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 final on Saturday.
Francis became the fourth Indian para-shooter to win a medal at the Paris Games and the fifth overall after finishing with a final score of 211.1 after 22 shots.
Paris Paralympics 2024: News | Medal Tally | India Schedule
She had briefly occupied the second spot, including after the first round comprising five shots, and had slipped to the fourth spot on a couple of occasions, but managed to stay in the medal zone till the end.
India had opened their account in the Paris Paralympics on Friday with Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal winning gold and bronze respectively in the women’s 10 air rifle standing SH1 event, Lekhara becoming the first Indian to win gold in back-to-back editions of the Paralympics.
Later in the day, Manish Narwal would win silver in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 final, winning the second Paralympic medal of his career after landing gold in P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event in Tokyo 2020.
And that's medal no. 5⃣ for 🇮🇳 at #ParisParalympics2024🤩🤩
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 31, 2024
Rubina Francis' magic prevails, she claims a #Bronze🥉in #ParaShooting P2 - Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 event with a score of 211.1🥳🤩
She becomes 1st Indian female para-shooting athlete to win a medal in Pistol event.… pic.twitter.com/dQ1EjVUzD3
Preethi Pal is the only non-shooter to have won a medal at the Paris Games so far, winning a historic bronze in the women’s 100-metre T35 race on Friday.
With Francis winning the first medal of Day 3 for the Indian contingent in Paris, we take a look at her journey so far along with some of her key achievements.
Who is Rubina Francis?
The TOPS athlete was born on 25 June 1999 into a middle-class family in in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. It wasn’t just a leg dysfunction that proved a hurdle for Rubina early in her life; her father Simon, a mechanic, struggled to support her growing passion for shooting due to financial constraints.
Inspired by Gagan Narang’s bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, Rubina wasn’t going to led these hurdles stop her from realising her dream of becoming a world-class para-shooter. Together with her father’s tireless efforts, Rubina made it to Pune’s Gun for Glory Academy in 2017.
Under the mentorship of coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal, Rubina’s talent became evident pretty quickly and it wasn’t long before she made it to the MP Shooting Academy. Guided by renowned coach and former shooter Jaspal Rana, Rubina sharpened her skills even further and would soon land an international medal.
Things we love to see! 😍
— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) August 31, 2024
Rubina Francis secures her Bronze medal with a stellar performance at the #ParalympicGamesParis2024. 💪🏻#ParalympicsOnJioCinema #JioCinemaSports #Paris2024 #Shooting #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/r0gqWBSivn
She would realise the importance of securing Paralympic quota while competing in the 2018 World Cup in France, which not only inspired her to train harder but also reshaped her approach towards the sport.
She would later come under the guidance of chief shooting coach Subhash Rana at the Purnatva Academy of Sports Shooting in 2019, where she further blossomed as a shooter, which in turn led to medals in national and international events along with world records.
Rubina would secure quota in the P2 category for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics at the Lima World Cup in 2021. However, she would finish seventh in the finals in Tokyo, the disappointment of which would drive her to a bronze finish three years later in Paris.
What are Rubina Francis’ achievements?
— Paralympics Games (2020) – 7th place (P2 - 10m Air Pistol)
— Asian Para Games (2022) – Bronze Medal (P2 - 10m Air Pistol)
— Osijek World Cup (2023) – Silver Medal (P2 - 10m Air Pistol) & Bronze Medal (P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol)
— Changwon World Cup (2023) – 2 Silver Medals (P2 (Team) - 10m Air Pistol & P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol) and Bronze Medal (P2 - 10m Air Pistol)
— Changwon World Cup (2022) – Silver Medal (P2 (Team) - 10m Air Pistol) & 2 Bronze Medals (P2 - 10m Air Pistol & P6 Mixed Team)
— Chateauroux World Cup (2022) – 1 Gold Medal (P6 Mixed Team), 2 Silver Medals (P2 (Team) - 10m Air Pistol & P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol) and Bronze (P2 - 10m Air Pistol)
Government support
— Financial Assistance for Training & Competition
— Financial Assistance for Sports Equipment
— Financial Assistance for Expert Services
— Out of Pocket Allowance under TOPS
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
