The Olympics and India, 2024
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Day-wise results
25 July
Indian men's and women's teams have entered the quarter-finals of the archery series at the Paris Olympics. Finishing above China, the Indian men's team will face the winner of the Turkiye vs Colombia match in the archery quarter-fin
27 July
India's campaign in shooting in the Paris 2024 Olympics started with a disappointment as two Indian teams in action during the qualification round in the 10 m air rifle mixed team events failed to make it to the medal matches
The first day of the Paris Olympics 2024 was a mixed day for the Indian contingent, as some of them were able to make their mark and some of them missed out on the chances. Let's take a look at the performance of the Indian athletes on Day 1:
Shooting:
10 Metre Air Rifle Mixed Team event:
India's campaign in shooting in the Paris 2024 Olympics started with a disappointment as two Indian teams in action during the qualification round in the 10 m air rifle mixed team events failed to make it to the medal matches on Saturday.
Two Indian pairs, Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal, took part in the 10 m air rifle mixed teams qualifiers. Only four teams out of 28 had the privilege of qualifying further for the knockout stages, i.e., a gold medal match for the top two teams and a bronze medal match for teams ranked third and fourth. India could not make it to the final four.
Men's 10 Metre Air Pistol:
India's disappointing run in shooting continued in Paris Olympics with Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema failing to make it to the final round of the men's 10 m air pistol competition.
Cheema (18th spot with 574-17x points) and Sarabjot (9th spot with 577-16x points) failed to make it to the final eight who qualified for the medal round.
Women's 10 Metre Air Pistol:
Ace India shooter Manu Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women's 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.
Badminton:
Men's Singles:
Ace India shuttler Lakshya Sen defeated Guatemala's Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in the Group L match of the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. Lakshya won in straight sets with the match lasting 42 minutes.
Men's Doubles:
The Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty started their Paris Olympics voyage with a win over France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar 21-17, 21-14 in the men's doubles Group C match on Saturday. Satwiksairaj and Chirag defeated Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in a straight games and ended the match in 46 minutes.
Women's Doubles:
The Indian duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto conceded a defeat in the badminton women's doubles group stage match at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Ponnappa and Crasto failed to clinch a win in their opening match of the multi-sport event in straight sets against the Republic of Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong. So Yeong-Hee Yong beat the Indian duo 21-18, 21-10. The game lasted for 46 minutes.
Hockey:
The Indian Men's Hockey Team began their Paris 2024 Olympics campaign with a stunning 3-2 win against New Zealand in a nervy contest on Saturday in Paris.
It was goals by Mandeep Singh (24'), Vivek Sagar Prasad (34') and Harmanpreet Singh (59') that ensured a strong start for India in Pool B, which includes reigning Olympic champions Belgium, Australia, Ireland and Argentina.
Table Tennis:
India's Harmeet Desai advanced to the Round of 64 in the men's singles table tennis at the ongoing Paris Olympics after beating Jordan's Zaid Abo Yaman 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5) in the preliminary round on Saturday. The 31-year-old will face Felix Lebrun of France at the South Paris Arena in the round of 64.
Boxing:
India's Preeti Pawar advanced to the Round of 16 after beating Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh by a unanimous decision in the women's 54 kg boxing round of 32 match at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Kim Anh was on top after the first round, where the judges gave her a 3-2 split lead. However, the Indian boxer made a terrific comeback in the next two rounds to seal a victory in her maiden Olympics game.
Rowing:
India's Paris Olympics campaign in rowing was off to a shaky start as Balraj Panwar finished at fourth place in the first heat race on Saturday. Balraj clocked timings of 7:07:11 minutes to finish at number four out of six competitors in his heat. Only three players from each heat race could make it to the quarterfinals directly.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
28 July
Siddharth Thakur, July 29, 2024: Hindustan Times
Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji lost their doubles opener on Day 2 of the Summer Games. Earlier, Manu Bhaker won bronze to open India's medal account.
Paris Olympics 2024 Day 2 highlights: Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics. Badminton ace PV Sindhu secured an easy win in her campaign opener.
Relying on the teachings of the Bhagwat Gita, Manu Bhaker ended India's 12-year wait by shooting bronze at the 2024 edition of the Olympics on Sunday. Ace shuttler PV Sindhu began her campaign with a dominant win by defeating Maldives' Razzaq in her women's singles first-round match on Day 2 of the Paris Olympics 2024. India's Ramita Jindal made the cut in 10m air rifle women's qualification round, finishing in fifth position while Elavenil Valarivan missed out by finishing 10th. On the other hand, Sreeja Akula defeated Chirstina Kallberg of Sweden 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) to enter the women's singles round of 32.
Manu Bhaker lands India's first medal with air pistol bronze
Expectations were high for Manu Bhaker, who became the first Indian woman shooter to claim an Olympic medal in the women's 10m air pistol event. From a heartbreak in Tokyo, where her gun malfunctioned, Bhaker completed her redemption by winning bronze to get India off the mark on the medal tally. The 22-year-old became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics.
Unseeded Nikhat Zareen to face reigning flyweight world champion
Nikhat Zareen, the two-time World Champion, also made her Olympic debut today. Easily India's best pugilist on show, Team India wants Nikhat to do what no boxer before her from the country has done – win either a gold or a silver medal. Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze at the Tokyo Games, but Nikhat is primed to go up a notch.
The fact that she has lost just two bouts in the last two years, during which she also claimed a bronze medal at last year's Asian Games is what makes her tough to beat. But the draws haven’t been too kind to Nikhat. She will face top seed Wu Yu of China in the next round. The top-seeded Asian Games and reigning flyweight world champion received a first-round bye.
Manika Batra bags easy win; Sharath Kamal sufferers shock exit
In table tennis, Manika Batra recorded a 4-1 win in the opener. Sharath Kamal suffered a shock exit from the Paris Olympics men's singles competition, losing 2-4 to lower-ranked Deni Kozul of Slovenia. Tennis superstars Rohan Bopanna and Sumit Nagal also recorded early exits from the Paris Olympics.
A quick look at India's results on Day 2 of the Paris Olympics-
Shooting
-Manu Bhaker finishes third in women's pistol final to claim a bronze medal.
-Ramita Jindal finishes 5th in 10m air rifle women's qualification round, Elavenil Valarivan misses out.
Tennis
-Rohan Bopanna/Sriram Balaji pair knocked out in 1st round of men's doubles, loses 5-7, 2-6 to Gael Monfils/Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
-Rafael Nadal will meet Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster second-round clash.
-Sumit Nagal knocked out in first round of men's singles, loses 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 to Corentin Moutet of France.
Archery
-India women's team knocked out in quarterfinals with 0-6 defeat to Netherlands.
Table tennis
-Manika Batra beats Anna Hursey of Great Britain 4-1 (11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5) to reach women's singles round of 32.
-Sharath Kamal loses to Deni Kozul of Slovenia 2-4 (12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12) in men's singles round of 64 match.
-Sreeja Akula beats Chirstina Kallberg of Sweden 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) to enter women's singles round of 32.
-Harmeet Desai loses to Felix Lebrun of France 8-11, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11 in men's singles round of 64.
Badminton
-PV Sindhu defeats Maldives' Razzaq in women's singles first round.
-HS Prannoy upstages Fabian Roth in men's singles Group K match.
Boxing
- Nikhat Zareen beats Maxi Kloetzer of Germany 5-0 in women's 50 kg category, moves to round of 16.
Rowing
-Balraj Panwar 2nd in men's singles Sculls repechage round, into quarters
Key takeaways from Day 2 of Paris Games 2024:
-Ace Indian shooter Manu Bhaker finished third to win a bronze medal in the final of the women's air pistol event.
-Manika Batra equalled her Tokyo Olympics feat by entering the round of 32 phase in women's singles.
-HS Prannoy defeated Fabian Roth of Germany 21-18, 21-12 in men's singles Group K match.
- Ramita Jindal entered the women's 10m air rifle final.
- PV Sindhu secured a big win in her campaign opener.
-Harmeet Desai's debut Olympic campaign ends with second-round exit.
29 July
July 30, 2024: Hindustan Times
Day 3 was a thrilling affair for India at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. Fans saw Manika Batra become the first Indian to qualify for the pre-quarterfinals in the singles category of table tennis at the Olympics. The Indian paddler defeated France's Prithika Pavade 3-0 to book a berth in the next round. Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker built on her bronze medal from Monday with a third-placed finish with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification event.
On the other hand, Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal missed out on medals. Babuta finished in fourth position in the 10m men's rifle final. Jindal came seventh in the 10m women's air rifle final.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen had to hit the restart button after his opening win was 'deleted', as he defeated Belgium's Julien Carraggi. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also maintained their form and reached the men's doubles quarterfinals. A late goal from Harmanpreet Singh saw India hold Argentina to a 1-1 draw in their Pool B men's hockey match.
Here's how India performed on Day 3- Shooting
- Manu Bhaker-Sarabjot Singh came third in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification round, securing a berth in the bronze medal match.
- Rhythm Sangwan-Arjun Cheema finished in 10th spot in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification round, missing out on a spot in the medal matches.
- Ramita Jindal comes seventh in the women's 10m air rifle final.
- Arjun Babuta fourth in men's 10m air rifle final. - Prithviraj Tondaiman ends Day 1 of men's trap qualification ranked 30th.
Archery
- India (Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav) lose 5-1 to Turkey in the men's team quarterfinals.
Table Tennis
- Manika Batra defeats France's Prithika Pavade 3-0, reaches pre-quarters.
Hockey
- India hold Argentina to 1-1 draw in men's pool match.
Badminton
- Lakshya Sen defeats Belgium's Julien Carraggi 21-19 21-14.
- Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy seal berth in the men's doubles quarter-finals.
- Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto crash to 11-21 12-21 defeat in second women's doubles group stage match.
30 July
July 31, 2024: Hindustan Times
Manu Bhakar and Sarabjot Singh clinched the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze on Tuesday. Bhaker had earlier won women's 10m air pistol bronze at the same venue.
Day 4 witnessed Indian shooter Manu Bhaker scripting history by becoming the first Indian woman to win multiple Olympic medals in a single edition. Bhaker, who won bronze in 10 air pistol women's singles event, teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to bring another bronze medal for India in 10m air pistol mixed team event. The Indian pair also became the first to win a medal for India in a team event at the Olympics.
Indian hockey team also continued their fine run in the tournament with a sensational 2-0 win over Ireland in the Pool B match. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh once again led the team from front and scored a brace as India put one of their foot in the quarterfinal.
Star India shuttlers pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered a dominant win over Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Adrianto 21-13, 21-13. They become the first Indian pair to reach the quarterfinal in men's doubles event at the Olympics. The Indian boxers also had a forgettable day in Paris as Amit Panghal, Jaismine Lamboria, and Preeti Pawar suffered defeats in their respective bouts.
Here's how India performed on Day 4
Shooting
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh clinched a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. They became the first Indian pair to win a medal in a team shooting event at theOlympics.
Prithviraj Tondaiman was knocked out from men's trap shooting after finishing 21st among 30 marksmen.
Rowing
India's Balraj Panwar finished fifth in his quarterfinals heat race of the men's single sculls event.
Archery
Ankita Bhakat suffered a 4-6 loss against Poland's Wioleta Myszor in women's individual 1/32
Bhajan Kaur registered twin victories to advance to the women's individual pre-quarterfinals. Bhajan beats Indonesia's Syifa Nurafifah Kamal 7-3 in women's individual 1/32, and Poland's Wioleta Myszor 6-0 in women's individual 1/16.
Dhiraj Bommadevara beat Czech Republic's Adam Li 7-1 in men's individual 1/32; later she goes down 5-6 against Canada's Eric Peters in men's individual 1/16
Hockey
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace as India outclassed Ireland in a 2-0 win in a Pool B match.
Badminton
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Adrianto 21-13, 21-13. The Indian pair register a place in the quarterfinal.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffered a 15-21, 10-21 loss against Australia's Syifa Nurafifah Kamal
Boxing
Amit Panghal lost his bout 1-4 against Zambia's Patrick Chinyemba in men's 51kg round of 16
A unanimous decision loss for Jaismine Lamboria against Philippines' Nesthy Petecio in women's 57kg round of 32 bout
Preeti Pawar suffered a 2-3 split decision loss against Colombia's Yeni Marcela Arias in the women's 54kg Round of 16 bout
The complete. detailed Indian results
Archery
25 July
BIJU.BABUCYRIAC , July 25, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : There’s hope around Indian archers in Paris and Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara ensured that they are on the right track. The debutants powered the Indian women’s and men’s teams to the quarterfinals on the opening day of the archery competition.
The 26-year-old Ankita, who had won a bronze medal in mixed team event at the Hangzhou Asiad, was in the zone as she tallied a superb 666 at the Esplanade des Invalides, the garden venue located in the heart of the city. The Kolkata girl, who came up the ranks impressing at the junior level, shot 30 arrows in the 10s and added another 9 in the X circle to get the 11th spot and set India off to a great start. Her compatriots Bhajan Kaur (22nd spot) and Deepika Kumari (23) also tried their best as Team India ended fourth with a score of 1983.
South Korea led the charts with a new Olympic record score of 2046 points. Lim Si-Hyeon powered the Koreans setting a new world record score of 694. The women’s team was under pressure, and they have begun in style after failing to make the last two editions. The last time India was part of the women’s team event was in London in 2012, when they crashed out in the round of 16.
On Thursday, Bhajan tallied 659 and Deepika 658 as India stormed into the quarterfinals in what was one of best performances by the women’s team in the Olympics. India have got a bye in the pre-quarters and will take on the winner of the last-16 match between France and Netherlands.
Army Sports Institute trainee Bommadevara came up with a high of 681 points (39-10s, 14-x) to finish fourth in the individual rankings. Seasoned campaigner Tarundeep Rai ended 14th with 674 (31, 9) while Pravin Ramesh Jadhav ended 39th with a score of 658 (25, 8). Together they put India in the third spot in the team rankings with a total of 2013 points behind Korea (2049) and France (2025). Ankita and Dhiraj also booked their slots in the mixed team event. In the mixed, India ended the ranking round in sixth spot.
28 July
Biju BabuCyriac , July 29, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : Even their favourite music couldn’t soothe the nerves of Indian archers as the women’s team cracked under pressure when it mattered the most, floundering against Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the team event at the Esplanade des Invalides on Sunday.
The Indian team ended up with a few sixes and an unbelievable stray shot, that fetched just four points, by top archer Ankita Bhakat as they went down 0-6 (51-52, 49-54 & 48-53) at the scenic venue that faces the majestic Hotel des Invalides.
The spectators were taking comfort from the mist sprayers to beat the heat, but the weather, hovering in the mid 20s, couldn’t have been an excuse for the hardworking Indians. “What a horrible start!” shouted a journalist from the media tribune, as Ankita opened with a seven.
Bhajan Kaur followed with an 8 before Deepika Kumari rounded up a poor start with a 7. Though the Indians came back strong in the second half of the set with scores of 9, 9 & 8, Netherlands bagged the first set and took a two-point lead edging India 52-51. The Indian trio showed signs of a fightback hitting two 10s and an 8 but Ankita spoiled the fine comeback with a poor arrow that fetched just six points. Bhajan tried to undo the damage with a 10 but Deepika, who was below-par in the ranking rounds, gifted it to Netherlands by firing another six.
Netherlands easily won the set 54-49 and doubled their lead to 4-0. It was now do-or-die for the Indians. Ankita opened with a disastrous four but Bhajan, the only Indian to get two 10s, fired another 10 but Deepika again failed to hit the inner-ring. The writing was now on the wall as Indians ended with scores of 8,8 & 10. Netherlands, who were never under any pressure, eased to a 58-53 win in the third set and triggered the celebrations as the Indian team looked shell shocked.
“A four-point shot is unheard of even in practice. Even she (Ankita) doesn’t know how it went. I think she would have relaxed a bit and the wind would have taken it further away,” India coach Purnima Mahato told TOI.
“I don’t think it was nerves as the girls were doing very well at the training ground and it’s tough to figure out what went wrong.”
29 July
Biju BabuCyriac, July 30, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : For the second straight day, Indian archers failed to deliver on the big stage as the men’s team lost in the quarterfinals of the team event. The Indians, who were seeded third, lost 2-6 to Turkiye at the archery grounds at Invalides here. The performance was just a shade better than the one by the women, who lost 0-6 to the Netherlands. None of the team members — Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai — were at their best. The wind only added to their discomfort.
The Indians were the verge of an early exit when they trailed 0-2 after two sets. Despite managing a score of 55, their highest in the final, Turkiye were almost through in straight sets but Berkim Tumer’s shot of 7 gave the Indians another chance.
Abduallah Yildirmis shot a 10 with the third arrow but after an initial wrong call — when the Turkish team started celebrating — the judges corrected the score, which saw India take the third set 55-54 and push the match into the fourth set. In the fourth, Rai had two shots of nine and Jadhav did even better with two 10s, but Dhiraj’s second shot of seven, after a nine in the first, gave India a score of only 54.
The Turkish team responded to the challenge in style as they found their best form. It was all 10s except for two nines and the final score of 58-54 saw them cruise into the semifinals where they lost to France 4-5. But they then bounced back to beat China 6-2 to bag the bronze. Favourites South Korea quelled the challenge from hosts France to bag the gold with a 5-1 win in the final.
“The conditions were a little difficult because of the wind. But then the conditions are the same for both the teams. In the end, we couldn’t do well. Specifically, I couldn’t do well. It was heartbreaking but it’s not all over yet and we will fight till the end,” Dhiraj told reporters, summing up the 53-57, 52-55, 55-54, 54-58 defeat.
Veteran Tarundeep said: “It’s not only about pressure though I would admit that we also had a bit of pressure. We had the our plans ready to produce our best shots but it didn’t work. We only executed 80 per cent of our plans. Our main mistake was that we didn’t do well in the first set (53-57).”
30 July
Archiman Bhaduri, July 31, 2024: The Times of India
She is the youngest of the lot, but teenager Bhajan Kaur has emerged as the most consistent Indian women recurve archer in this Olympics.
The 18-year-old made the prequarterfinals winning back-toback elimination round matches at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris.
However, her teammate Ankita Bhakat bowed out in the first round of the elimination stage going down to Poland’s Wioleta Myszor 4-6 minutes before Kaur began her individual campaign.
Incidentally Kaur was supposed to face Bhakat in round of 16, but she ran into Bhakat-slayer Myszor whom she blanked out 6-0 (28-23, 29-26, 28-22).
Earlier she overcame Indonesia’s Syifa Nurafifah Kamal in the round of 32-clash in a five-set contest 7-3 (27-27, 27-29, 29-27, 27-25, 28-25).
Bhajan, who qualified 22nd in the ranking round and put up a good show in the team event despite India making an exit, took some time to warm up as she lost the second set (27-29) after the first set was tied (27-27). However, once she got into the groove, she hit impressive scores of 29, 27 and 28 in the next three rounds to seal the victory.
However, it was heartbreak once again for Bhakat, who fizzled out despite enjoying a 4-2 initial lead against Myszor. The Kolkata-born archer’s campaign is going downhill after an impressive qualification at 11th spot with a score of 666. She was a bundle of nerves in the team event and on Tuesday lost the final two sets rather tamely to bow out 4-6 (26-27, 29-26, 28-27, 27-29, 27-28).
Bommadevara cruises
Late on Tuesday, Olympic debutant Dhiraj Bommadevara had a smooth ride in the men’s first elimination round, getting past Czech Republic’s lone male archer Adam Li 7-1 (29-29, 29-26, 29-28, 28-26). The Armyman showed great consistency, hitting a score of 29 in three of the four sets to keep his World ranking 109 opposition under pressure. Bommadevara did not hit below nine in any of his 12 arrows with seven 10s in the fourset match.
Earlier, after conceding defeat in the men’s archery team event on Monday, Bommadevara had said that he needs to work more on his game. The team, comprising Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav, bowed out in the quarterfinals after a 2-6 loss.
“I need to work more on my game. I want to thank my teammates for believing in me. I will learn from these situations and try not to repeat my mistakes and get back stronger. The main thing is to focus on myself rather than other situations. The second thing is to make decisions about the wind. I didn’t believe in my decisions on Monday,” Bommadevara said.
2 Aug
BIJU BABUCYRIAC, August 3, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : The winds of luck didn’t blow in the right direction during crucial moments for the archers as India’s mixed team of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat endured two crushing defeats against South Korea and USA in the semifinal and bronze medal matches respectively. They were left to settle for fourth place, a first for Indian archery, at Invalides here on Friday.
It was so near, yet so far for the Indian team as some poor shots at crucial junctures sealed their fate in the battle for the bronze. Three back-to-back 10s were not enough to undo the damage in- flicted by the first arrow from Ankita, that fetched only 7 points. USA were assured of winning the first set as they rattled up 38 points. With just 17 points from the first two, it was over.
India, who were seeded fifth, were off to an identical start in the second with another seven from Ankita. This time they managed a below par total of 35 and USA soon pocketed a 4-0 lead winning the second 37-35.
With their backs to the wall, the Indians were back on the fir- ing line for the third set but this time with a much improved show to grab 38 points (10, 9, 9, 10) as the American team of Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison, the third seeds, buckled under pressure and lost the set 38-34. They still had to take the fourth set while USA required just one more point to reach the winning score of 5.
Ankita fired two more 8s and Dhiraj a 9 and 10 but the Americans opened with a 10 and hit three more 9s for a 37-35 win. Dhiraj put the narrow miss down to the “minor details”. “In both the matches we went in with the same mindset,” he said. “We came in with inputs from our seniors that the Olympics is going to be a different ball game from World Cups. We were prepared but when we started, we realized how different it is.”
“It is pretty difficult to accept that we lost, but we are taking solace that we finished fourth which we have not achieved ever before. We are improving in every Olympics. We are lacking in minor details,” said the debutant.
Korea survive India challenge
The semifinal between India and Korea saw Ankita and Dhiraj give the favourites a mighty scare before going down in four sets 2-6. Sihyeon Lim and Woojin Kim were off to a wobbly start as they shot an 8 and 9. India responded through Ankita’s 9 and Dhiraj 10.
He then helped India take a shock lead, firing another 10 with India’s fourth arrow as Korea trailed 2-0 after losing the first set 36-38. The third set saw the Koreans maintain the form with two 10s and two 9s even as India failed to respond adequately.
3 Aug
BIJU BABUCYRIAC, August 4, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : If two bad rounds haunted Manu Bhaker in the morning in Chateauroux, it was a case of two bad shots for Deepika Kumari in archery. The 30-year-old, competing at her fourth consecutive Olympics, was looking to put all past disappointments to rest as she took on South Korea’s 19-year-old Suhyeon Nam in the quarterfinals of the individual recurve archery.
Deepika was close, fighting the prodigy tooth and nail, but just when it mattered, the inner-circle of the board which measures 12.2 cm eluded her. She lost to the eventual silver medallist 4-6 and her dreams of a first Olympic medal were shattered, maybe for one last time.
A 33rd place in London 2012, ninth at Rio Games, eighth in Tokyo and now another disappointment as she ended seventh. It could have easily been a top4 finish, even a historic medal could just be in the offing, but then the pressure of the situation got the better of her. “Yes, this was my best chance so far (to win an Olympics medal). But I fired two bad shots (one 6 pointer and a 7). I felt like I gifted her the match and I don’t know why I always lose at the Olympics,” she told reporters trying her best to hide the disappointment at the Invalides here. “I’ll continue to work hard and I have not set any timelines.”
Against the young Korean, who was making her debut, the vastly experienced Deepika took the first set with three arrows (9, 10, 9) that hovered around the inner circle. Suheyon fired two 8s after starting with a 10 as Deepika raised the expectations of the Indian fans. But the second set was a different story. The Korean opened with a 9 and Deepika also found a 10.
The Korean then fired a 10 and Deepika, who was racing against the clock, crashed down with a six-point shot. That was a big cushion for the Korean, who claimed the second set after taking her tally to an unbeatable 28. Deepika was back in form in the third set firing two 10s to take the lead.
The Korean finished with a tally of 28 points and the Indian found a perfect 10 to win the set 29-28 and take a 4-2 lead. From then on, Deepika found it difficult to handle pressure. She hit two 10s with her last six arrows while the Korean had four. After surrendering her advantage with another bad shot that got her just 7 points, in the fourth, Deepika couldn’t hit the inner circle.
The Korean showed great composure to score 19 points with her first two shots. Deepika responded with 9s that saw her trail 18-19. Suheyon showed great composure and capped her comeback with another 10 with her last shot and began the celebrations as it took the match beyond Deepika’s reach.
Athletics
2 Aug
August 3, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : India’s top runners Parul Chaudhary and Ankita Dhyani disappointed as they crashed out in the heats in women’s 5000m race as the athletics action began on Friday. In Heat 2, Parul clocked her season’s best time of 15:10.68s that got her the 14th place. Earlier, Ankita Dhyani brought up the rear, finishing 20th in Heat 1.
Dhyani clocked 16:19.38, way below her personal best of 15:28.08s. A repeat of that time would have given her a top-13 finish. The first 8 in each of the two heats advanced to the final. Topping the list of qualifiers were Kenyan Faith Kipyegon (Heat 1), who clocked 14:57.56s, while her compatriot Beatric Chebet took the top spot in Heat 2 with a time of 15:00.73s. TNN
5 Aug
Biju BabuCyriac, August 6, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : India’s Avinash Sable lived up to his reputation as he advanced to the final in the men’s 3000m steeplechase here on Monday. The Indian clocked 8:15.43s to finish fifth in heat 2 and make the cut for the final. The top five from each of the three heats will compete in the final scheduled on Thursday (IST).
Sable, who had crashed out in the first round at the Tokyo Games, got his tactics right as he kept his place in the leading pack. To begin with the Army man, with a personal best (PB) timing of 8:09.91s, took an early lead before Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot, bronze winner at the World Championships last year, took charge. Sable slipped to fourth with three laps to go. He then pushed his way to second before falling back after the bell.
Mohamed Tindouft of Morocco won the heat 2 clocking a PB of 8:10.62s.
Earlier, hot favourite Soufiane El Bakkali, also from Morocco, led the list of qualifiers from heat 1 winning the first round in a slow race that he won in 8:17.9s.
7 Aug
Biju BabuCyriac, August 8, 2024: The Times of India
Paris : The women’s 100m hurdles saw national record holder Jyothi Yarraji finish seventh in Heat 4 clocking 13.16 seconds in the Olympics at the Stade de France here. A repeat of her season’s best time of 12.78s would have won her the third place and a berth in the semifinals. “It’s a poor time by Jyothi on the fast Mondo track at the Stade de France,” a noted coach told TOI. Olympic record holder Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.42s) of Puerto Rico and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria (12.49) were on top after the preliminary round.
The top 3 in each of the five heats and the next three fastest advanced to the semifinals. All the other others, except those who did not start, did not finish and disqualified, will move to the repechage round. Jyothi will have a shot at the semifinal if she finishes top two in her race.
Annu Rani came up with a disappointing show in women’s javelin throw after Neeraj Chopra’s fine show on Monday. The Indian was never in the hunt for a place in the final after she opened with an effort of 55.81m. She then dipped to 53.22 and improved slightly to 53.55 as she finished second last in Group A and overall 29th out of 32 competitors.
In men’s high jump, national champion Sarvesh Anil Kusare, competing alongside Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, managed a best height of only 2.15 to finish 25th. With no one clearing the stiff qualification mark of 2.29m, the last of the qualifying height came at 2.24m. Joint Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar led the finalists with a leap of 2.27m.
The Indian team comprising Priyanka Goswami and Suraj Panwar didn’t finish the race in the marathon race walk mixed relay, a new event on the athletics programme. Panwar, who began the race, was pulled up for incorrect technique — bent knee and loss of contact — in the first leg. Then Priyanka also got warned for loss of contact in the second leg. Panwar came up with an error-free performance in the third leg before Priyanka was pulled up twice in the fourth and last leg and India ended with a ‘did not finish’ mark.
India’s best placing was 16th in the first leg before dropping down to 21st and 24th in the second and third.
Chitravel, Abdulla crash out
In the men’s triple jump, Praveen Chitravel and Abdullah Abubacker crashed out in the preliminary round. Abuduallah, with an SB of 17m, had a best of 16.49m that put him in the 21st spot. Chitravel, with an SB of 17.12m, managed a best of only 16.25m to finish 27th in the field of 32.
Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo topped the two groups with a leap of 17.44m. Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez bagged the 12th spot in the final with a best of 16.79m edging France’s Jean-Marc Pontvianne on count back.
