Young India archer Dhiraj Bommadevara achieved the country’s first Paris 2024 Olympic qualification in the sport after he bagged a silver medal at the Asian Continental Qualification Tournament on Saturday. On the other hand, it was curtains for the seasoned Tarundeep Rai, who made an exit in the quarters.
The Asian Continental Qualification Tournament only guarantees a quota for the two finalists in the men’s and women’s sections. But Dhiraj could not win the gold medal despite getting tantalizingly close to it in the final. He lost to Chinese Taipei’s Zih-Siang Lin 5-6 (29-28, 27-29, 28-28, 30-28, 25-26) (9-10) in an intense shoot-off.
Dhiraj Bommadevara Qualification and Road to Final
In the quarters, Dhiraj got the better of Sadegh Ashrafi Bavili of Iran 6-0 (28-27, 28-25, 28-27). Come the semis, he beat another Iranian Mohammadhossein Golshani 6-0 (30-27, 29-25, 29-27).
Having said that, it was a disappointing outing for Ankita Bhakat, who lost in the quarters to Ziyodakhon Abdusattorova of Uzbekistan. Despite leading 3-1 in the tie, she lost 4-6 (29-23, 27-27, 24-25, 27-27, 24-26).
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