India’s third day at the Paris Olympics did not bring the same level of excitement as Day 2, with a blend of major disappointments and triumphs from the Indian athletes.
Shooter Arjun Babuta narrowly missed out on a medal, leaving fans disheartened. On a brighter note, the badminton duo of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarterfinals in badminton. Manika Batra also qualified for round of 16 in the table tennis women’s singles event.
Satwik-Chirag soars, Ashwini-Tanisha struggle in Badminton
The highly anticipated match for badminton star shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty was cancelled on Monday. The Indian pair was set to compete against Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Sedel in the group stage. However, due to Lamsfuss’s knee injury, the match was called off, and Satwik-Chirag secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
In women’s doubles, the Indian duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Christo suffered their second consecutive loss in the group stage. They will face the Australian pair on July 30, and their chances of reaching the quarterfinals are now in jeopardy.
Lakshya Sen clinched victory in his second group stage match in men’s singles, defeating Belgium’s Julian Caraggi. After a tight first game, Lakshya won 21-19 and dominated the second game with a 21-14 score. His earlier win against Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon, who withdrew from the Games due to injury, was not counted. Lakshya will need another win in his next match to advance.
Shooting: Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot Shine, Arjun Babuta falls short
In shooting, the Indian pair of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh scored 580 in the qualifying round of 10m air pistol mixed team event and secured third place, advancing to the finals. Unfortunately, the second Indian pair, Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh Cheema, finished 10th and did not advance.
Ramita Jindal finished 7th in the women’s 10m air rifle final with a score of 145.3 points. The gold medal was claimed by Korea’s Ban Yojin.
In the men’s 10m air rifle event, star shooter Arjun Babuta narrowly missed out on a medal. He was in the top 3 until the 16th shot and was in contention for silver but ultimately fell short. China’s Sheng Liho, at just 19 years old, won the gold.
Hockey: Harmanpreet’s late goal helps India draw
India’s hockey team captain, Harmanpreet Singh, once again saved the team with a last-minute goal. The Indian team played to a 1-1 draw against Argentina on Monday, with Harmanpreet scoring in the 59th minute to equalize after trailing for most of the match.
Archery: Indian Team Falls in Quarterfinals
It was a tough day for archery again, as the Indian men’s team lost in the quarterfinals. The team, comprising Tarundeep Rai, Dheeraj Bommadevara, and Praveen Jadhav, was defeated by Turkey with a score of 6-2. Turkey won the first two sets 57-53 and 55-52. Although India won the third set 55-54, Turkey clinched the final set 58-54 to advance to the semifinals.
Table Tennis: The Manika Batra show
Indian paddler Manika Batra secured her place in the Round of 16 of the women’s singles table tennis event at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. The 29-year-old defeated France’s 12th-seeded Prithika Pavade with scores of 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.
With this win, the 18th-seeded Indian player became the first from India to advance to the Round of 16 in Olympic table tennis.
