Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights, 4th August - India beats GB in penalty shootout; Lovlina Borgohain bows out in QF, Lakshya to play bronze medal match after losing SF

Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights, 4th August - After a disappointing Day 8, there was not too much to write home for India on Day 9 apart from the hockey team's sensational win over Great Britain. Lovlina Borgohain and Lakshya Sen lost their matches while the shooters squandered a good position to not qualify for their respective finals. Follow Sportskeeda for every update on Paris Olympics 2024.

India at Paris Olympics, Day 9 - Jubilation and Heartbreaks aplenty

Right then, that wraps up what has been a quite a high-intensity day for India at the Paris Olympics 2024. There were moments of brilliances, leads squandered and hearts broken.

It all started off with Golf, where Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar struggled once again, and, in expected news, did come close to winning a medal this year. However, they will certainly return with some valuable experience under their belts.

In shooting, Maheshwari Kumari started off the day strongly, scoring 25 out of 25 in her fourth round but she lost the plot in the fifth round, managing just 22 and losing the qualification hopes.

Something similar happened in the Men's 25m Rapid Fire Qualifications as well, where Vijayveer Sidhu and Anish were placed in the top 8 at the end of the first round but a poor last series in Round 2 costed both their qualifications.

India's match against Great Britain was one to be cherished, where after a red card to Amit Rohidas, India had only 10 men on the field for the majority of the match. They had taken the early 1-0 lead but with one defender less, some excellent piece of defending saw them concede only 1 goal to GBR. Going into a penalty shootout, Sreejesh rose to the occasion with twin saves, with took India to victory.

Shadowed by the hockey match was Lovlina's quarterfinal, where she went down in a split decision. Lakshya Sen suffered a heartbreaking loss to Viktor Axelsen, squandering a healthy lead in both games to lose and make his way to the bronze medal match.

Right then, that's about what we had in store today! Plenty of action awaits us tomorrow as Lakshya Sen plays his bronze medal match, while the table tennis team events begin and India's wrestlers will finally be seen in action! Join us back for that! Until then, this is Team Sportskeeda, wishing you good night!

SAILING - Women's Dinghy Race 7 & 8

We're done with our final event of the day as Nethra Kumanan finishes Race 7 & 8 in Women's Dinghy. She finishes 21st in Race 7, and 31st in Race 8.

Her race 8 score, being her worst, is not considered in her net total, but her previous worst of 28 is now included. She is currently placed 25th with 145 net points and qualification seems next to impossible for her tomorrow.

In the euphoria of the Men's Hockey team winning their shootout against Great Britain, many of us missed out a crucial boxing encounter that took place when the shootout was going on. Lovlina Borgohain bowed out of the Olympics, as a split decision by judges went against her. Read how it all unfolded below 👇

Paris Olympics 2024 Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain’s campaign comes to an end after quarter-final defeat

GOLF - Men's Individual

Right, with most of the golfers having finished all their 18 holes in their last and final round, Shubhankar Sharma will finish tied for 40th, while Gaganjeet Bhullar will finish tied for 45th.

USA's Scottie Scheffler wins Gold, Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood wins Silver and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama wins Bronze!

SAILING - Men's Dinghy

A topsy-turvy day out in the water for Vishnu Saravanan today. He finishes 7th in Race 7, but then has a torrid time in Race 8, where he finishes 24th.

With his worst performance of 34th being omitted from his second race, his net score now stands at 114 and he is currently ranked 18. Tomorrow is the last and final two races, Vishnu needs more than just a top 10 finish in both to qualify. Can he pull that off? Only time shall tell

SHOOTING - Men's 25m Rapid Fire Qualifications

Right then, here are the final scores and rankings of the Indians:

Vijayveer Sidhu:
Stage 1: 98-98-97
Stage 2: 100-98-92
Total: 583-26x
Rank: 9th

Anish:
Stage 1: 98-98-97
Stage 2: 99-97-93
Total: 582-22x
Rank: 13th

For the highlights of all the shooting events from the day, click here.

SHOOTING - Men's 25m Rapid Fire Qualifications

The last series in Stage 2, where shooters are given just 4 seconds between shots, costs both Anish and Vijayveer a spot in the final! Vijayveer, who had a 100 and 98 in the previous 2 series, manages only a 92 in the third, while Anish, who had 99 and 97, manages only 93. Click here for the detailed coverage of the match!

SHOOTING - Men's 25m Rapid Fire Qualifications

How did they lose that? will be the question looming large over Indian fans! Vijayveer Sidhu and Anish both fail to qualify after being in the top six comfortably at one point!

SHOOTING - Men's 25m Rapid Fire Qualifications

The fourth relay is finally underway! Anish and Vijayveer Sidhu will be staking a claim in the final. Can both Indians make it? Click here to find out!

SAILING

Both the Men's and Women's Dinghy races aren't underway, due to the inclement weather in Paris. While Men's Race 7 was completed and the 8th is delayed, the women's race 7 & 8 both stand delayed. Whether or not we will have any action, only time will tell!

GOLF - Men's Individual Round 4

Right, we've got an update from golf - both Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar Sharma have failed to win a medal, a news which was pretty much expected considering their performances over the past couple of days.

Here are their final scores after Round 4:

Shubhankar Sharma:
Total Score: -1
Today's Score: +1
Rank: Tied for 41st

Gaganjeet Bhullar:
Total Score: +1
Today's Score: -1
Rank: Tied for 46th

Most other golfers are currently completing their round four. We will be back with the medal winners list and the final positions for both Indians soon! Stay tuned!

While many lauded his efforts, fans were largely disappointed with Lakshya Sen's performance. Find out what they had to say below 👇

"The dream for the Gold Medal in badminton perishes" - Fans disappointed after Lakshya Sen's defeat in Paris Olympics 2024 semis

Shortly after India's win in hockey came a disappointment for Lakshya Sen in his semifinal against Viktor Axelsen. Click on the link below to read how it all unfolded 👇

Olympics: Paris Olympics 2024 Badminton: Lakshya Sen goes down to defending champion Viktor Axelsen in thrilling semifinal, set to fight for bronze

Click on the link below to watch the winning moment of the quarterfinals where Harmanpreet Singh & Co. made it to the semifinal after winning the shoot-out 👇

[WATCH] Indian Hockey Team celebrates after storming into the semi-finals of Paris Olympics 2024

Alongside appreciation, there were plenty of memes that surfaced after PR Sreejesh's heroics helped India go through to the semifinals! To view some of the best ones, click below 👇

"PR Sreejesh, the wall" - Top 10 funny memes as Sreejesh's heroics guide India to victory against Great Britain in Hockey quarter-finals at Paris 2024

SHOOTING - Women's Skeet Qualifications Day 2

Right then, a disappointing exit for Maheshwari Chauhan, while Raiza Dhillon will take a lot of experience from this event. Here are their final scores and standings:

Maheshwari Chauhan:
Score: 118
Rank: 14th

Raiza Dhillon:
Score: 113
Rank: 23rd

SHOOTING - Men's 25m Pistol Rapid Fire Qualifications

Right, after catching our breaths back, it is time to divert our attention back to shooting, where Vijayveer Sidhu and Anish will be playing in the fourth and final batch as they eye qualification in the 25m Pistol Rapid Fire final. Click here to follow updates from the event!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Lakshya Sen goes down fighting! Viktor Axelsen wins 22-20 21-14 to seal a spot in the final. It wasn't to be for the Almora-born shuttler today and alas, he will not be able to play for god. Lakshya still has a shot at sealing a bronze though and will play that match tomorrow!

Fans were all praise for PR Sreejesh, the Indian stalwart who stood tall like a wall to make multiple saves to keep the Indian team afloat. To read some of the best fan reactions, click below 👇

"Emi Martinez is overrated, we believe only in PR Sreejesh" - Netizens go crazy after the Indian hockey GK guides the team to Paris Olympics semis

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Lakshya Sen is now trailing 12-15 in the second game! This is getting out of hand and the Indian shuttler will have to push his limits against a mighty strong opponent in Axelsen. Hop over here for further updates!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Lakshya Sen takes a slender 11-10 lead halfway through the second game! Gosh, this one sure is going down to the wire alright. Catch our detailed coverage right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Viktor Axelsen is pulling it back again! Lakshya's lead has been reduced to a lone point as it stands 8-7 in his favor in the second game. You don't want to miss out on more right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

A terrific start in the second game for Lakshya Sen as he leads 6-0! He will need to capitalize on this in what is a must-win game. Tune in for more right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Viktor Axelsen snatches the first game 22-20! Lakshya had three game points but the second-ranked Axelsen pulled off something incredible to save them all before taking the game. Find out if Lakshya can bounce back right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Axelsen's clawing his way back into the first game now. Lakshya still leads 18-16 though. Don't forget to catch our detailed coverage of this contest over here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Lakshya Sen continues to dominate, leading 16-11 now in the opening game! He will look to take a 1-0 lead anytime soon now. Follow more updates right here!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

Lakshya Sen leads 11-9 at halftime in the opening game! An excellent start in front of what is an electrifying atmosphere! Hop over here to follow more!

Indian fans were not pleased with the red card which was awarded to the Indian defender - Amit Rohidas. Here's what they had to say 👇

"Most brutal decision of Olympics" - Reactions pour in after Amit Rohidas' red card at Olympics 2024 hockey QF

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

After a slow start, Lakshya Sen picks up and it's 5-5 in the first game. Hop onto our detailed coverage right here!

SHOOTING - Skeet Women's Qualifications Day 2

Oh dear, Maheshwari Chauhan manages only 22 out of 25 in the fifth round. She's slipped down to the 11th position on the basis of average points. She will have to now wait for all other shooters to complete their fifth round and hope for plenty of misses by the others. She's squandered all the good work she had done so far, and will certainly be mighty disappointed!

BOXING - Women's Middleweight QF

Li Qiang def. Lovlina Borgohain 4-1

So after the Asian Games loss, it's another heartbreak for Lovlina who comes up second best against Qiang. The Indian fought well in a topsy-turny battle. Qiang, however, was smart as she waited for her opponent to tire out before pouncing.

With that valiant fight, India's boxing campaign at the Paris Olympics has come to end. It was a tale of quite a few near-misses and unlike Tokyo, we will not be coming back with a medal from the ring this time around.

However, there's plenty more action to come with India in contention so stay tuned as we being to you the latest from Paris 2024!

ATHLETICS - Men's Long Jump

Jeswin Aldrin scores 7.61m in his third and final attempt. Alas though, it won't suffice as he finishes 13th in Group B. Aldrin fails to qualify!

BADMINTON - Men's Singles Semifinals

The events keep coming thick and fast for India's medal hopefuls. Lakshya Sen, India's first ever male shuttler to make the semifinals, will be in action as he faces WR2 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. Follow our detailed coverage of that match over here!

BOXING - Women's Middleweight QF

Final score: Lovlina 1 - 4 Qiang

Very different style of boxing as Lolvina continued to showcase her attacking prowess, but Qiang just about stayed in contention. She was also very effective with her combination punches whenever Lovlina took a step back to catch her breath.

In the end, the disadvantage of the opening two rounds was too big to bridge and the Chinese with the big celebration at the end.

HEARTBREAK for Lovlina, who sports a big smile as she conceded defeat.

HOCKEY Quarterfinals - India vs Great Britain

India is through to the semifinals in hockey! What a moment, and the players have tears in their eyes! One defender was down, GBR felt they had the advantage, but they didn't factor in that one PR Sreejesh was equal to 10 defenders! This is a moment for the history books! Click here to catch the highlights of the match!

BOXING - Women's Middleweight QF

Round 2: Lovlina 2 - 3 Qiang

Lovlina was looking to make some room for himself, but the Chinese continued to use her nimble footwork to frustrate her opponent into overpressing.

The Indian knew that she was the one who needed to make the moves to secure a win and she continued to press forward. That, however, seemed to tire her out by the end and the Chinese was quick to pounce. Much like the opening round, Qiang landed a few solid punches in the back end to again edge her opponent out!

A very crucial final round coming up for Lovlina. She has trailed in both rounds by a marginal scoreline and will need something special to turn things around!

HOCKEY Quarterfinals - India vs Great Britain

PR SREEJESH YOU BEAUTY! HE SAVES ANOTHER GOAL! Pushes the GB player in the corner and dives to save it! RAJKUMAR PAL SCORES! INDIA IS THROUGH TO THE SEMIFINALS IN HOCKEY!!

HOCKEY Quarterfinals - India vs Great Britain

PR Sreejesh build up some pressure and GB's shot goes flying beside the goal post! Can India take the lead? AND LALIT UPADHYAY SCORES! EASY AS YOU LIKE IT! A 3-2 lead for India going into the fourth round! Click here for the detailed updates from the match!

BOXING - Women's Middleweight QF

Round 1: Lovlina 2 - 3 Qiang

An unclean start from both boxers, with a lot of time being spent in the clinch position.

Both boxers continued to search for rhythm, and Qiang landed a couple of jabs through combinations in the end, which looks to have shifted the tide in her favour. But things are very close!

Lovlina trails just marginally and will need to step up the aggression in the second round.