July 31st 2024.
The Olympics in Paris and Chateauroux have been a thrilling ride for Indian sports fans, with the country's top athletes making their mark on the world stage. Despite not winning any medals on Wednesday, star players like P V Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, and Lakshya Sen are still in the running for historic podium finishes. And in a surprising turn of events, a new shooting star has emerged from Chateauroux, adding to India's impressive performance so far.
While India currently holds the joint 38th position on the medals table, thanks to two bronze medals in shooting, the badminton court was set ablaze by both Sindhu and Sen. Sen, who is making his Olympic debut, is chasing his first Games medal, while Sindhu is aiming for her third consecutive medal. In her second and last Group M match, Sindhu easily defeated Kristin Kuuba of Estonia with a score of 21-5, 21-10. Sen, on the other hand, put on a sensational performance against Indonesian world number 4 Jonatan Christie, winning 21-18, 21-12. After the match, Sen expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I was just trying to build up for a good event and I'm really pumped up to fight every match and every point." One of the highlights of the match was Sen's jaw-dropping behind-the-back return, which quickly went viral on social media. Sindhu, on the other hand, played with her signature precision and secured a victory with ease.
Meanwhile, in Chateauroux, some 300km away from bustling Paris, Swapnil Kusale made history by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the finals of the 50m rifle 3 positions event. With a score of 590, Kusale finished seventh in the qualification round, out of a field of 44 shooters. The 29-year-old has been competing in international events since 2012 and has finally achieved his dream of representing India at the Olympics. His family, who are all teachers in a district school, were overjoyed at his achievement.
Unfortunately, Aishwary Tomar, another promising Indian shooter, missed out on the finals by finishing 11th with a score of 589. In the women's trap event, Rajeshwari Kumari and Shreyasi Singh also fell short, finishing 22nd and 23rd respectively.
In the boxing ring, India has had mixed results so far, with the shocking first-round exit of Amit Panghal. But Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze medal in the 69kg category at the Tokyo Olympics, breezed through her pre-quarterfinal match against Norwegian rival Sunniva Hofstad with a 5-0 win. Borgohain is now just one win away from securing another medal for India, which would be an unprecedented feat for Indian boxing. However, her next match against top-seeded Chinese Li Qian on August 4 will not be an easy one.
Over in table tennis, Sreeja Akula celebrated her 26th birthday by entering the pre-quarterfinals after a hard-fought 4-2 win over Singapore's Jian Zeng. She is the second Indian paddler, after Manika Batra, to enter the ongoing edition's pre-quarterfinals. This is a remarkable achievement for Indian table tennis, although Batra's journey ended in the last-16 stage after losing to Japan's Miu Hirano.
In archery, Deepika Kumari finally found her form after a disappointing performance in the team competition. She entered the pre-quarterfinals of the women's individual event with back-to-back wins against Reena Parnat of Estonia and Quinty Roeffen of the Netherlands. She will face Michelle Kroppen of Germany in the pre-quarterfinals, with hopes of securing a medal for India.
Unfortunately, the equestrian event saw Asian Games medallist Anush Agarwalla crashing out of the competition. He finished a below-par ninth in his group in the individual dressage category with a score of 66.444. And with athletics and golf set to start on Thursday, all eyes will be on Neeraj Chopra as he carries the weight of massive expectations on his broad shoulders. The men's and women's 20km race walk will kickstart the event, with Indian athletes Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bisht, and Priyanka Goswami competing. On the golf course, Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar will represent India in the men's competition. The excitement continues to build as India's 29-strong contingent aims for more historic achievements at the Olympics.
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