Sen fails to win bronze, Agony for Nisha Dahiya: India at 2024 Paris Olympics Day 10 Roundup
On Day 10 of the Paris 2024 Olympics, India’s athletes experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as they narrowly missed out on several medal opportunities.
Parimatch News looks at how the Indian athletes fared on the tenth day of the Summer Games.
Shooting
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Indian shooters Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka came close to securing a bronze medal in the skeet mixed team event but fell just short, losing to China’s Jiang Yiting and Lyu Jianlin by a narrow margin of 43-44.
Early in the game, Yiting missed three consecutive shots, presenting India with an opportunity to take the lead. However, Naruka faltered, missing two of his first eight shots, though he managed to recover and hit the remaining 16 targets. Chauhan also had a strong start, hitting a perfect four in the first series but then missed crucial shots in the second, third, and fourth series.
In the fifth and sixth series, both Indian shooters displayed resilience, hitting all their targets. However, Lyu Jianlin’s exceptional performance, with a perfect 24/24 score, ultimately prevented India from taking the lead and securing a medal.
Don’t miss: Swapnil Kusale bags bronze medal: India at 2024 Paris Olympics Day 6 Roundup
Before the bronze medal match, the Indian duo had showcased impressive form in the qualification round, earning a place in the bronze medal game. Chauhan particularly shone, achieving a perfect score of 50/50 in her final two rounds. Naruka contributed consistent scores of 25, 23, and 24 in the three rounds, as India managed 146/150.
The skeet mixed team event marked the conclusion of the shooting events at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 21-member Indian shooting contingent ended the competition with three medals.
Table tennis
India has qualified for the women’s team quarter-final in table tennis
On Day 10 of the Paris 2024 Olympics, India’s athletes experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as they narrowly missed out on several medal opportunities.
Parimatch News looks at how the Indian athletes fared on the tenth day of the Summer Games.
Shooting
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Indian shooters Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka came close to securing a bronze medal in the skeet mixed team event but fell just short, losing to China’s Jiang Yiting and Lyu Jianlin by a narrow margin of 43-44.
Early in the game, Yiting missed three consecutive shots, presenting India with an opportunity to take the lead. However, Naruka faltered, missing two of his first eight shots, though he managed to recover and hit the remaining 16 targets. Chauhan also had a strong start, hitting a perfect four in the first series but then missed crucial shots in the second, third, and fourth series.
In the fifth and sixth series, both Indian shooters displayed resilience, hitting all their targets. However, Lyu Jianlin’s exceptional performance, with a perfect 24/24 score, ultimately prevented India from taking the lead and securing a medal.
Don’t miss: Swapnil Kusale bags bronze medal: India at 2024 Paris Olympics Day 6 Roundup
Before the bronze medal match, the Indian duo had showcased impressive form in the qualification round, earning a place in the bronze medal game. Chauhan particularly shone, achieving a perfect score of 50/50 in her final two rounds. Naruka contributed consistent scores of 25, 23, and 24 in the three rounds, as India managed 146/150.
The skeet mixed team event marked the conclusion of the shooting events at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 21-member Indian shooting contingent ended the competition with three medals.
Table tennis
India has qualified for the women’s team quarter-final in table tennis
Indian table tennis players Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath led the women’s team to the quarter-finals of the Olympics. Every team event in the sport starts with a doubles match, followed by four singles, with each player allowed to take part in a maximum of two matches.
In the ‘Round of 16’ tie, India, seeded 11th, defeated fourth-seed Romania 3-2 in a best-of-five encounter. Batra triumphed in both her singles matches, while Kamath and Akula collaborated to win the doubles match.
The day began with the doubles game against Adina Diaconu and Elizabeta Samara. The India duo gave the team a fantastic start, wrapping up the match 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-7) in just 27 minutes.
World No. 28 Batra then faced Bernadette Szocs in her first singles game of the day. Szocs, ranked 10th in the world, had a poor start with a series of unforced errors and never recovered as the Indian table tennis player built on her momentum and overcame her opponent in straight games 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-7), giving India a 2-0 lead.
However, Romania fought back with consecutive victories to force a decider. World No. 25 Akula encountered a stiff challenge in the third match against the 35-year-old Samara and lost 3-2 (8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8). Szocs then equalized for Romania by defeating Kamath 3-1 (11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9).
In the decider, Batra faced the 61st-ranked Adina Diaconu and steered the team past the finish line. Manika once again won in straight games (11-5, 11-9, 11-9) to secure a 3-2 victory for India.
This is India’s maiden appearance in the table tennis team events at the Olympics. In the quarters, India will face the winner of the match between the USA and Germany.
Athletics
Avinash Sable made history by becoming the first Indian male athlete to qualify for the 3000m steeplechase final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Sable clocked 8:15.43 to finish fifth in the second heat of the track and field event. The top five from each heat advanced to the final, which will be held on August 8 at the same venue.
Sable initially took the lead in the race, maintaining his position for the first two and a half minutes. However, Abraham Kiwiot of Kenya and Samuel Firewu of Ethiopia eventually overtook him. As the race progressed, Ryuji Miyura of Japan also moved ahead of Sable, relegating him to fourth place.
With six minutes remaining in the race, Sable moved up to second place. However, a poor water jump caused him to drop back to fifth. He briefly climbed back to third but ultimately settled into fifth place with seven and a half minutes remaining.
In the final stretch, Sable could afford to slow down due to the significant distance between him and the trailing athletes. This ensured his place in the Olympic final for the first time in his career.
On the other hand, Kiran Pahal finished seventh in her heat in the women’s 400m event, clocking 52.51 seconds. Since only the top three athletes advance to the semi-final, she will participate in the repechage round on Tuesday.
Wrestling
Nisha Dahiya’s campaign ended on a heartbreaking note
In a disheartening turn of events, Indian wrestler Nisha Dahiya dislocated her finger during her Women’s 68kg quarterfinal match against North Korea’s Sol Gum Pak at the Paris Olympics 2024. The Indian was leading 8-1 in the second round when Dahiya requested a stoppage due to her injury.
Though she received treatment and attempted to resume the contest, her discomfort remained. Pak capitalized on the situation, successfully overcoming the deficit and scoring a winning takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining, resulting in a 10-8 victory. An emotional Dahiya broke down after the outcome.
Earlier in the day, Dahiya showcased her prowess in the Round of 16 wrestling bout by defeating Ukraine’s Tetiana Sova. In her Olympic debut, Dahiya won 6-4 at the Champ de Mars Arena.
Sailing
Indian sailors Vishnu Saravanan (men’s dinghy) and Nethra Kumanan (women’s dinghy) missed out on the medal race in their respective events, as they were unable to secure a top 10 finish in the opening series.
Saravanan, an Asian Games bronze medalist, finished 18th in the men’s dinghy event, with a net score of 114 after eight races. Nethra, on the other hand, finished 21st in the women’s dinghy event, with a net score of 155 after nine races. Despite a promising start with a sixth-place finish in the opening race, she was unable to sustain her momentum. These results concluded India’s sailing campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Badminton
India’s Lakshya Sen fell just short of securing a historic men’s singles bronze medal on Monday. At the La Chapelle Arena, Sen, ranked 22nd in the badminton rankings, valiantly battled against world No. 7 Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia but ultimately suffered a 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 defeat in a game that lasted 71 minutes.
Aged 22 years old, Sen had the opportunity to become the first Indian badminton player to achieve an Olympic medal in the men’s event. Despite outperforming his opponent in the initial game, Sen conceded eight consecutive points to the 26-year-old Jia in the second game and could not make a comeback thereafter.
In the decisive third game, Sen struggled to recover mentally, and Jia skillfully controlled the rallies, ultimately claiming the bronze medal. Sen also endured a painful bruise on his right forearm that bled and required taping for the majority of the contest.
With Sen’s loss, India’s badminton campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics came to an end. This marks the first time since 2008 that India has returned from the Olympics without a medal in the sport.