Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights, 2nd August - Lakshya Sen scripts history, becomes first male shuttler to reach semis; Ankita-Dhiraj lose bronze; India beat Australia 3-2 in hockey

Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights, 2nd August - A topsy-turvy day for India which saw history being written by Lakshya Sen, India beating Australia in hockey after 52 years at the Olympics, Manu qualifying for her third final, heartbreak for the archers and a disappointing performance by the track and field athletes. Follow Sportskeeda for every update on Paris Olympics 2024.

Right then, that caps off a day for the Indian contingent that has had quite a bit of everything - jubilation, heartbreaks, close finishes and one-sided battles.

It all started off with the shooting events, where Esha Singh managed to take an early lead in the precision round, being placed third but was displaced by the second batch of shooters, which included Manu Bhaker. Esha's efforts in the rapid-fire round weren't good enough to earn her qualification but Manu cruised into the final with a second-place finish, making her one of the favourites for a medal tomorrow.

The Men's Skeet qualifications saw Anant Jeet Singh Naruka struggle, and he's certainly not well-placed to earn a qualification as it stands. Then came the judo event, where Tulika Maan lasted mere seconds before her opponent pinned her down and got such a grip on her that she had to tap out, losing by Ippon.

The Mixed Team in archery comprising of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat - oh how much did Dhiraj deserve a medal for all his efforts at Paris Olympics! But, it was not to be. Plenty of errors by Ankita in the bronze medal match saw the duo lose to USA and forego the chance of winning India's first non-shooting medal in this year's Paris Olympics.

The day progressed on a high note, with the Indian men's hockey team beating Australia for the first time at the Olympics since 1972. Their 52-year drought ended and they will certainly take a lot of confidence from this match into the quarterfinals.

Lakshya Sen played an excellent match of badminton and knocked his opponent out of the reckoning, becoming the first ever badminton male player from India to reach the semifinals. A potential match-up against Victor Axelsen awaits him now.

Athletics disappointed for the second day straight, with Ankita and Parul Chaudhary finishing 20th and 14th in their races respectively. With only the top eight going through, the Indians were not even close. The same fate followed in the shot put qualifications, where Tajinderpal Singh Toor managed only one legal throw, which landed at 18.05m, a throw which placed him at 29th position just above the two players who couldn't manage a single legal throw.

Right then, that's all we have for you from Day 7 of the Olympics! We will reach the halfway mark of the Olympics tomorrow, where Manu Bhaker will have the chance to do something special and make it a hat-trick of medals at the Paris Olympics. Do join us back for that at Sportskeeda. Until then, it is goodbye!

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

Tajinderpal Singh Toor steps over the board on his third and final attempt and he fails to qualify for the finals. A disappointing outing for the Indian as he finishes 15th in Group A and at number 29 out of a total of 31 athletes with the two below him failing to register any throws.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

Another disappointing attempt from Tajinderpal as he commits a foul on his second attempt. It was a weak throw from the Indian and he stepped on the board to not register the throw. Things are looking dull for him as he occupies the 15th spot in Group A. Just to let you know, each athlete will get three throws each.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

New Zeland's Jacko Gill hits the 21.35 mark - the qualification mark on the dot and becomes the third one to qualify for the finals from Group A.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

Tajinder starts with a weak throw of 18.05 and he is at number 14 in Group A after the first round ahead only of two who had invalid attempts. He needs to be much better if he wants to have any hopes of qualification.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

Ryan Crouser, the World Champion and the Olympic Champion, throws a 21.49 on his first attempt and gestures that it is job done. He looked like he did not even put anything and yet cleared the mark comfortably.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

Tomas Stanek is the first one from Group A to go past the qualification mark. The Czech throws a massive 21.61 and his work for the day is done.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

The competition is underway with the athletes taking their first throws. India's Tajinderpal Singh Toor is slated to be coming in to conclude Group A at number 16. So, that will give him a clear picture of how the others have performed. Watch this space for further updates!

Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot Put Qualifications

Toor will be in Group A alongside 15 other athletes, Group A also has the WR-1 Ryan Crouser from USA. While 15 other contestants are also present in Group B, the shot-putters will be aiming to cross the Olympic Qualification Mark of 21.35. A throw which matches or betters that will send the athlete straight into the finals and a total of 12 participants who have the farthest throws will be making their way into the final to be held tomorrow.

How far has Tajinderpal Singh Toor's shot put traveled on the 29-year old's best attempt? That and much more here 👇 -

Paris 2024 Olympics: What is Tajinderpal Singh Toor's personal best in shot put?

While Tajinderpal Singh Toor did not receive a direct entry into the Paris Olympics, he had to go through the hard route for qualification. Read all about how he qualified below 👇

How did Tajinderpal Singh Toor qualify for Paris Olympics 2024?

Hailing from Punjab, here is all you need to know about the men's shot-putter from India 👇

Who is Tajinderpal Singh Toor? All you need to know about Indian shot putter`competing at the Paris Olympics 2024

Right, only one event remains for India today, with Tajinderpal Singh Toor all set to be in action at 11:40 PM IST in the Men's Shot Put qualification! Stay tuned as we will get you the live updates for it right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Gosh, that was some match and one heck of a performance from Lakshya Sen! You can catch all the highlights from that match over here as we look forward to Sen's semifinal encounter in the coming days!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Right so, that marks a disappointing end for India to the Qualification round of Women's 5000m Steeplechase. The two Indian athletes have both failed to get to the finals. Ankita Dhyani finished 20th with a total time of 16:19.38. Parul Chaudhary finished 14th with a total time of 15:10.68.

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Final Result- Round 1(Heat 2)

1-Chebet Beatrice - Kenya
2-Eisa Medina - Ethiopia
3-Davies Rose- Australia
4-Grovdal Karoline Bjerkeli- Norway
5- Niyomkunzi Francine- Burundi
6- Morgan Whittni- USA
7- Blomqvist Nathalie- Finland
8- Brea Joselyn Daniely- Venezuela

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Final Result- Heat 1(Qualifying Athletes)

1- Kipyegon Faith- Kenya
2- Hassan Sifan- Netherlands
3- Battocleti Nadia- Italy
4- Kipkemboi Margaret Chelimo- Kenya
5- Tsegay Gudaf- Ethiopia
6- Taye Ejgayehu- Ethiopia
7- Cranny Elise- USA
8- Schweizar Karissa- USA

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

LAKSHYA SEN CREATES HISTORY! He defeats Tien Chen Chou to become the first Indian male shuttler to advance to the semifinals of the Olympic Games! A terrific match that had it all and in the end, the Indian star prevails having found himself a game down to win it 19-21 21-15 21-12 against Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei. India's hopes of a medal in badminton remain alive!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Finish Line- Parul Chaudhary finishes off the race in 15:10.7! She ends up being ranked 14th and it's a disappointing result for the Asian Games champion as she misses out in qualifying for the finals.

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

4000m Mark- Parul Chaudhary has taken a total of 12 minutes and 14.6 seconds to make it to 4000m. She is ranked 15th and it's time for the final 1000m.

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Lakshya Sen continues to hold the lead at 15-10 now! You don't want to miss out on the rest of the action, the detailed coverage of which you will find right here!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

3000m Mark- Parul Chaudhary continues to trail behind the other athletes. She has taken a total of 9:14.3! Rank- 15th

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

2000m Mark - Parul Chaudhary clocks a time of 6 minutes and 10.5 seconds. She falls behind to the 17th Rank. The chances look really bleak for India at the moment.

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Lakshya Sen leads 11-7 at the halfway mark of the final game! Momentum is on his side but the players will now swap ends. This is headed for a thrilling finish - catch our coverage of it all right here!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Parul Chaudhary makes the first 1000m in 3:04.8! She is ranked 15th currently and needs to pick up her pace in the next phase of the race.

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

The magnificent rallies continue but Lakshya Sen takes a slender lead of 5-4 in the final game. Don't miss out on more - head over here!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Right, we're off an running for the Round 1 Heat 2!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

It's time for Women's 5000m Round 1 Heat 2. Parul Chaudhary, the Asian Games Gold Medalist will be in action for India. She is currently holds a world ranking of 47! Can she put on a historic show and qualify for the finals?

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Lakshya Sen wins the second game 21-14! What an astounding comeback by Almora-born shuttler as he takes things into a decider! Jump in here to follow more!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

What a comeback by Lakshya Sen as he leads 19-13 in the second game. Can he seal this game quickly? Find out by heading over here!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

5000m Finish Line- Ankita Dhyani completes her 5000m in a total of 16 minutes 19.4 seconds. She finishes off 20th and she has been eliminated as the top 8 athletes go through.

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

4000m Mark- Ankita Dhyani has taken a total time of 13 minutes and 0.8 seconds to get there. She is ranked 20th till now and it's time for the final 1000 m.

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

3000m Mark- Ankita Dhyani has taken a total time of 9 minutes and 34.1 second to get there. She is ranked 20th as of now.

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

So little to choose between the two players here. Lakshya Sen trails 9-10 in the second game with an absolute classic unfolding in this quarterfinal. Don't miss out on more right here!

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

We are at the 2000m mark and Ankita Dhyani has taken 6:17.2 to complete the 2000m mark here. She has slipped to the 20th position.

Athletics Women's 500m Round 1

Ankita Dhyani completes her first 1000 m in 3:12.4! She is currently ranked 18!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

A promising start in the second game is starting to go awry as Lakshya Sen suddenly trails 4-5. Follow more over here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Lakshya Sen fights hard but goes down 19-21 in the opening game! Badminton at its absolute best with long rallies and aggressive smashes from both players headlining it. Eventually, it's Tien who takes the lead. Check out if Lakshya can bounce back by heading over here!

Athletics Women's 5000m Round 1

The Women's 5000m Steeplechase Round 1 is about to begin in a short while and the Indian duo of Parul Chaudhary and Ankita Dhyani will be in action. Parul Chaudhary was the gold medalist in the Women's 5000 m Steeplechase event in the 2022 Asian Games while Ankita Dhyani has also broken several records at the national level.

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Six points in a row for Lakshya Sen! And he now takes a 17-15 lead in the opening game. Drop whatever you're doing and hop over here to follow more!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Aggressive shuttling this from Tien as Lakshya Sen trails 9-14 in the first game. Don't forget to catch more updates right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Four points in a row for Lakshya Sen since the previous update. But he still trails 8-10 in the first game. Follow further updates right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Not the best start for Lakshya as he trails 2-5 in the opening game. Hop over here to find out if he can bounce back!

GOLF - Men's Round 2

Right, we've got a quick update on the Indian men's golfers who have completed their round 2 today:

Shubhankar Sharma:
Total Score: -3
Today's Score: -2
Rank: Tied for 26th

Gaganjeet Bhullar:
Total Score: +2
Today's Score: -2
Rank: Tied for 52nd

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Here we go then. Lakshya Sen is carrying a billion hopes on his shoulders in what is arguably the biggest match of his professional career yet. The first game is about to get underway - follow further updates from that contest right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Right then - it's time for Lakshya Sen to take the court in a little while from now as he faces Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei in the men's singles quarterfinal. Catch our detailed coverage of that contest right here!

It was a rude welcome back home for India's pistol coach Samaresh Jung as he was asked to vacate his residence, which he comments on in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. Here's more on that!👇