Rubina Francis and Swaroop Unhalkar book Paris Paralympics quota via wildcard

Indian para shooters Rubina Francis and Swaroop Unhalkar on Wednesday secured quota for the Paris Paralympics under the bipartite rule, taking the total number of shooters at the Games to ten.

The Paralympic Committee of India had applied for two bipartite (wildcard) spots for Rubina (women’s 10m air pistol SH1), who is ranked world number two, and Unhalkar (men’s 10m air rifle SH1).

Rubina, a bronze medallist in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year in the Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1, and Unhalkar have been consistent performers in international events, prompting PCI to apply for a bipartite spot.

Subhash Rana, the national para shooting coach, had said they applied for the wildcard after the pair missed out on quota places by a whisker.

“Rubina missed winning the quota by a fraction of a point, so we have applied for a wildcard for her and Swaroop,” Rana had said in May.

Earlier at the Para Shooting World Cup in Delhi, Rubina missed the quota in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 despite winning the bronze medal. Rubina's inclusion will mean that India will have a woman shooter at the Paris Paralympics.