Manu Bhaker and Yashaswini Singh Deswal failed to qualify for the finals of the women’s 10m air pistol event at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, putting India’s shooters under pressure for the second consecutive day.
Both were competing in their first Olympics, and the pressure got to them when it mattered the most.
Manu, who is ranked second in the world, was held back by a technical issue with her gun after an outstanding start that saw her capture one of the top eight spots.
The youthful shooter fell out of the top-10 with an opening score of 98, which was followed by scores of 95, 94, and 95.
With a 98 in the fifth series, the Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympics gold medalist attempted a comeback, but succumbed under pressure in the final series, which saw her score one 8 and three 9s, leaving Frenchwoman Celine Goberville to take the eighth and last qualifying slot.
Meanwhile, world number one Yashaswini has had an up and down performance, with a 98 in the second series, including five 10s in the second portion, putting her back into contention after a slow start.
But she lacked the consistency to compete with the best, finishing 13th with scores of 94, 98, 94, 97, 96, and 95 for a total of 574.
Manu ended the event in 12th place with a total score of 575 after starting with an incredible 98 and five 10s in the opening series.
She lost five minutes due to a malfunction with her gun, but she recovered to finish with a 95. The cut-off was 577.