Para shooter Rubina Francis brought home India’s fifth medal in the ongoing Paris Paralympics, winning bronze medal in the P2 – 10m Air Pistol SH1 event on Saturday. In the eight-woman final, Rubina Francis finished third with a total score of 211.1. Earlier in the day, she had qualified for the final at seventh spot in the qualification round.
Following Avani Lekhara (gold), Mona Agarwal (bronze) and Manish Narwal (silver), Rubina Francis became the fourth medallist from India in the Paris Paralympics in shooting.
Early life
Born in a lower-middle class family, Rubina Francis had leg dysfunction. Due to financial limitations, her father, Simon Francis, a mechanic, found it difficult to encourage her passion of shooting.
In 2015, Francis’s shooting began as she got inspired by the accomplishments of Olympic shooter Gagan Narang. Despite the financial obstacles, her perseverance and her father’s efforts brought her to Jabalpur’s Gun for Glory Academy in 2017. Under the guidance of Jai Prakash Nautiyal, her skills became evident and she was chosen to attend the MP Shooting Academy. Thereafter, she developed her skills under the guidance of coach Jaspal Rana and won her first medal at an international competition.
Rubina Francis’s career took a drastic change during the 2018 France World Cup when she realised how important it was to secure a Paralympic quota. This realisation motivated her to step up her training. In 2019, Purnatva Academy of Sports Shooting recognised her potential and under the guidance of Chief Coach Subhash Rana, her shooting prowess blossomed. She continued on to break world records and won multiple medals at the national and international levels.
Have a look at Rubina Francis’ key achievements
2020: 7th place in P2 – 10m Air Pistol at Paralympics Games
2022: Bronze Medal in P2 – 10m Air Pistol at Asian Para Games
2023: Silver Medal in P2 – 10m Air Pistol and Bronze Medal in P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol at Osijek World Cup
2023: 2 Silver Medals in P2 (Team) – 10m Air Pistol and P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol; Bronze Medal in P2 – 10m Air Pistol at Changwon World Cup
2022: Silver Medal in P2 (Team) – 10m Air Pistol and 2 Bronze Medals in P2 – 10m Air Pistol & P6 Mixed Team at Changwon World Cup
2022: 1 Gold Medal in P6 Mixed Team, 2 Silver Medals in P2 (Team) – 10m Air Pistol and P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol and Bronze in P2 – 10m Air Pistol at Chateauroux World Cup
