India’s medal tally at the Paralympics 2024 rose to five on Sunday when Rubina Francis clinched a bronze medal in the P2 – 10m Air Pistol SH1 event.

Francis scored a total of 211.1 to finish third in the eight-woman final. She had shot a total of 556 to qualify at the seventh spot earlier in the day. It was the fourth medal for India in shooting after Avani Lekhara (gold), Mona Agarwal (bronze), and Manish Narwal (silver).

The 25-year-old para shooter, hailing from Jabalpur, was born with talipes — most commonly known as club foot — which prevented her from staying steady while shooting at the target in standing and sitting positions. However, her coach, JP Nautiyal came up with a solution.

“We tried making her sit and shoot but that would not be perfect,” her coach JP Nautiyal told PTI in an exclusive chat.

“We made her stand and got special shoes for her which facilitated balance,” Nautiyal added.

Her coaches continuously worked on her posture and she found a strong support system in her parents.

“She has worked very hard for this. It was my dream and she fulfilled it,” Rubina Francis’ father Saiman Francis told PTI. “She practiced with full dedication. We are very happy,” said her mother Sunita Francis as they celebrate her victory.

Rubina’s foundation was laid at the MP Shooting Academy in 2015 where under the mentorship of Nautiyal and Jaspal Rana’s younger brother Shubhash she started to flourish.