Manu Bhaker qualifies for finals, hockey team get off to a winning start: India at 2024 Paris Olympics Day 1 Roundup
The much-anticipated 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off with an exciting first day of competition. The opening day was filled with remarkable achievements as athletes from around the world delivered outstanding performances, bringing pride to their home countries.
It was a mixed day for the Indian sports enthusiasts, with some athletes disappointing and a few others registering convincing wins. ‘Parimatch News‘ offers a comprehensive report on Team India’s achievements on Day 1 of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rowing
In the men’s singles scull competition at the Paris Olympics, Balraj Panwar, India’s sole rower, progressed to the repechages after placing fourth in heat 1 on Saturday. Panwar, 25, clocked a time of 7:07.11, trailing Thomas Mackintosh of New Zealand (6:55.92), Stefanos Ntouskos (7:01.79), and Abdelkhalek Elbanna (7:05.06). Only the top three rowers from each heat qualify directly for the quarterfinals.
In the repechages, Panwar will have a second opportunity to advance to the semifinals or finals. He previously finished fourth at the 2022 Asian Games in China and secured a bronze medal at the Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in Korea.
Shooting
In the 10m air rifle mixed team event, two Indian pairs competed: Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal, along with Sandeep Singh and Elavenil Valarivan. During the qualification round, Ramita and Babuta performed exceptionally well, ranking fifth with three shots remaining.
However, they narrowly missed the cut-off for the medal round by 1.0 points, finishing in sixth place with a combined score of 628.7 across three rounds. On the other hand, Sandeep and Valarivan, the second Indian pair, finished in 12th place with a combined score of 626.3. It’s worth noting that only the top four teams from the qualification round advance to the medal rounds.
In the men’s 10m air pistol final, Sarabjot Singh’s dreams of a medal were dashed as he agonisingly missed out on a place in the top eight. Despite finishing tied with Germany’s Walter Robins with an aggregate score of 577 after six series, Sarabjot was edged out due to a lower count of inner 10s. While Robins had 17 inner 10s, Sarabjot fell short with 16. The other Indian in the event, Arjun Cheema, finished in 18th place with an aggregate score of 574.
Manu Bhaker made history by becoming the first Indian female shooter in two decades to advance beyond the qualification rounds at the Olympics. With an aggregate score of 580, she came in third place in the 10m women’s air pistol final.
Bhaker outperformed all other shooters in the qualification round by shooting 27 times in the inner 10s. In the same event, Rhythm Sangwan finished 15th with an aggregate score of 573. Bhakr will be in action in the final on Sunday.
Tennis
Due to inclement weather and persistent rain, the first-round match of the men’s doubles tournament between Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji was postponed to Sunday, with no play permitted on the outside courts.
Initially, the Indian pair was scheduled to compete against the French duo of Fabien Reboul and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. However, following Reboul’s withdrawal from the Olympics, he was replaced by Gael Monfils, who will now partner with Roger-Vasselin in their upcoming match.
Badminton
There are a lot of expectations from the pair of Satwik Reddy and Chirag Shetty!
Lakshya Sen’s 2024 Paris Olympics journey began with a remarkable 21-8, 22-20 victory against Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in the Group L match of the men’s singles tournament. The match concluded in 42 minutes, with Sen dominating the first game, claiming a convincing win in only 14 minutes.
Cordon fought back in the second game, taking an early lead and securing four game points. Despite the pressure, the resilient 22-year-old Indian displayed exceptional composure, turning the tides in his favour by winning six consecutive points. Sen will now face Julien Carraggi of Belgium on July 29, aiming to continue his winning streak at the Olympics.
In the men’s doubles event, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kickstarted their campaign with an impressive straight-game victory. Facing host nation’s Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in their Group C men’s doubles match, the reigning Asian Games champions displayed their dominance, securing a 21-17, 21-14 triumph in just 46 minutes.
The Indian duo, currently seeded third in the tournament, will face Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Mark Lamsfuss in their next encounter on July 29th.
In the women’s doubles competition, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffered a straight-sets defeat to the Korean duo of Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong. The match lasted 46 minutes, with the opposition emerging victorious 21-18, 21-10.
Ponnappa and Crasto will next face the fourth-seeded Japanese pair of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida on July 29th.
Table Tennis
In the men’s singles table tennis tournament’s preliminary round, Harmeet Desai triumphed over Jordan’s Zaid Abo Yaman with scores of 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, and 11-5, completing the match in only 30 minutes. Harmeet’s victory secures his progression to the main draw of the event. His next challenge will be against Felix Lebrun, the world’s fifth-ranked player from France, in the round of 64, which takes place on Sunday.
Hockey
Harmanpreet Singh fired his side to a victory in their 2024 Paris Olympics opening match
The Indian men’s hockey team staged a remarkable comeback to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory against New Zealand. Captain Harmanpreet Singh emerged as a hero, scoring a decisive goal in the 59th minute via a penalty stroke, sealing the win for India.
New Zealand got the early advantage in the match through Sam Lane’s well-executed goal. However, Mandeep Singh responded with a brilliant strike, levelling the score. Vivek Sagar Prasad then put India in the lead, but Simon Child’s goal for New Zealand brought the score back to 2-2.
As the clock ticked down, Harmanpreet Singh stepped up to convert a penalty stroke, ensuring India’s hard-fought and memorable victory. India’s next match will be against Argentina on Monday, 29th July.
Boxing
In the first round of the women’s 54kg bout, Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh took the lead by a narrow margin of 3-2 against Preeti Pawar. However, in a remarkable turn of events, Pawar staged a magnificent comeback in the subsequent two rounds, reversing the outcome and securing a unanimous decision victory on her Olympic debut.
Pawar will now face Colombia’s Yeni Arias, the second seed in this event, in their upcoming match scheduled for July 29.