Finally, the Olympics are here! Officially starting on 27th July, it marks the first day. We are entering Day 1 of the Paris Olympics with a number of events. The day will be filled with qualification and medal events in both team and individual sports. It’ll be a very exciting day for sports lovers who are eager to see their favourite athletes give their best on the world’s biggest stage.
Let’s look at the schedule for India at the first day of the Paris Olympics.
Rowing
At 12:30 PM, India’s lone rower, Balraj Panwar, will compete in Heat 1 of the Men’s Single Sculls. In this event, only the top three in each of the six heats will advance to the quarterfinals, while the others will move to the repechages. Balraj faces a formidable challenge, especially against Greece’s Stefanos Ntouskos, who holds the Olympic best time of 6:40.45. It will be extremely difficult for Balraj to advance from here.
- Athlete: Balraj Panwar
- Time: 12:30 PM
Shooting
It will be a special day for Indian athletes in shooting, with several events featuring Indian participation.
10M Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification
This event will take place at 12:30 PM. India fields two strong teams: Ramita and Arjun Babuta, and Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh. With a qualification world record of 635.8, India aims to secure a spot among the top four teams to advance to the finals. The finals, including the Gold/Silver Medal Match for the top two positions and the Bronze Medal Match for positions three and four, will take place at 2:00 PM.
10M Air Pistol Men’s Qualification
Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh will vie for a spot in the finals, showcasing their skills in a highly competitive field.
10M Air Pistol Women’s Qualification
At 4:00 PM, India’s ace shooters Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan will compete, aiming to finish in the top eight to qualify for the finals. The last four years have been challenging for Manu Bhaker. After winning numerous tournaments and a Youth Olympic gold medal at a young age, she failed to perform at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, she has bounced back over the last two years, winning a gold and a silver at the World Championships. They face strong competition, especially from China’s Jiang Ranxin, who holds the world record qualification score of 591 and the Olympic record of 587.
| Athlete | Event | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Elavenil Valarivan | 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification | 12:30 PM |
| Sandeep Singh | 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification | 12:30 PM |
| Ramita | 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification | 12:30 PM |
| Arjun Babuta | 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification | 12:30 PM |
| Arjun Singh Cheema | 10m Air Pistol Men’s Qualification | 12:30 PM |
| Sarabjot Singh | 10m Air Pistol Men’s Qualification | 2:00 PM |
| Manu Bhaker | 10m Air Pistol Women’s Qualification | 4:00 PM |
| Rhythm Sangwan | 10m Air Pistol Women’s Qualification |
More on Olympics
Badminton
The evening features crucial matches for India. At 7:10 PM, Lakshya Sen faces Kevin Cordon, followed by the men’s doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who play against the hosts Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar at 8:00 PM.
Both matches are crucial for India’s badminton hopes. It should be an easy match for Lakshya Sen. Currently ranked World No. 18, he will be facing World No. 41 Kevin Cordon from Guatemala. They have met only once before, where Lakshya emerged victorious.
The medal contenders Satwik and Chirag are expected to have an easy match as well, having faced this French duo twice before and emerged victorious both times.
Late at night, there is a highly anticipated match. At 11:50 PM, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will face South Korea’s Kim and Kong in the group play stage, aiming to start their Olympic journey with a win in the Badminton Women’s Doubles. Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa have played incredibly well this season and often changed the fate of the match in the last moments. They will be facing the World No. 8 duo of Kong Hee Yong and Kim So-yeong of South Korea. It’ll be a very difficult match for the pair.
Athletes:
- Lakshya Sen: Men’s Singles at 5:30 PM
- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty: Men’s Doubles at 8 PM
- Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa: Women’s doubles at 11 PM
Table Tennis
At 7:15 PM, Harmeet Desai competes in the men’s singles against Jordan Zaid Abo Yaman, looking to advance in the tournament. It is expected to be an easy match for the 71st-ranked Harmeet as he plays against World No. 538.
- Harmeet Desai: Men’s singles at 7:15 PM
Boxing
Just past midnight at 12:02 AM, Preeti Pawar will compete in the Women’s 54 Kg Preliminary Round of 32 against Vietnam’s Thi Kim Anh Vo, hoping to progress further in the competition.
- Preeti Panwar: Women’s 54 Kg Preliminary Round of 32 at 12:02 AM
Hockey
At 9:00 PM, the Indian men’s hockey team takes on New Zealand in a highly anticipated match. A strong performance here could set the tone for India’s campaign.
Tennis
Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji will be in action at around 5 PM IST. They are scheduled to play on Court 12 (Roland Garros) against the unranked French duo of Fabien Reboul and Édouard Roger-Vasselin.
