"We weren't able to; specifically, I wasn't able to" - Dhiraj Bommadevara takes the blame after India's disappointing loss in archery quarterfinals

India continued to disappoint in archery at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Monday. After the women's team lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, the men's team too met a similar fate.

Much like the women's team, the trio of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Pravin Jadhav had also earned direct entry into the quarterfinals after a solid display in the ranking round. In the quarterfinals, they were up against Türkiye - a team India was expected to beat. However, what unfolded was the opposite: India were at the receiving end of a thrashing.

"We weren’t able to (perform). Specifically, I wasn’t able to (perform)," Bommadevara told All India Radio after the match.

India were - in many ways - the favourites going into the match. Currently, India's men's team is ranked second in the world rankings while Türkiye is sixth. India had direct entry to the quarterfinal, while Türkiye had to play an extra match to qualify. Even that match was won by Türkiye only after it went into a shootout.

"(At the Olympics) there is pressure on everybody. We also felt it a little. But it was okay. A little bit of pressure is good," Tarundeep Rai told All India Radio.

"We had a basic plan. The plan was to focus on following the process that enables us to hit our best shots," added Rai, who was competing at the Olympics for the fourth time. "We - me and my team - were only about 80% successful in it. By the time, we were able to (get in our grove), it was late. We mainly committed errors in the first round and couldn’t make up for it."

The first two sets were fairly one-sided. While the Turkish archers constantly hit 9s and 10s, the Indian trio struggled with their aim. The game could have finished in three straight sets as well, but Türkiye's Berkin Tumber made a mistake. He lost his aim and ended up hitting a 7, giving Indian supporters a ray of hope.

However, Türkiye were back to being imperious in the next set, sealing the match as well as a place in the semifinals. The Turkish trio went on to win the bronze medal.

Archery is a sport in which weather conditions and even a slight change in wind speed or direction can play a huge role. However, at this level, the archers are expected to be adept and ready for it. Hence, the Indian archers avoided using the weather as an excuse.

"The conditions (pertaining to) the wind were slightly difficult. But it remains the same for everyone," said Bommadvara. "Of course, losing was heartbreaking but we won’t stop here. The tournament is not yet over. We will fight till our last breath."

While the team events have now come to fruition, Indian archers would now be competing in the individual events. Later, Dhiraj Bommadevara would also feature in the mixed-team event alongside Ankita Bhakat.

Individual competition gets underway on Tuesday

The individual events commence on Tuesday, July 30. Dhiraj Bommadevara would be in action locking horns with Czechia's Adam Li. Tuesday would also see two of India's women archers in action. Ankita Bhakat will play her first match of the individual event against Poland's Wioleta Myszor and Bhajan Kaur will be up against Indonesia's Syifa Nurafifah Kamal.

The fourth-time Olympians would start their journey in the individual competition on Wednesday. Deepika Kumari will face Estonia's Reena Parnat and Tarundeep Rai will compete against Great Britain's Tom Hall in the first round.

Pravin Jadhav's first match will be against China's Kao Wenchao, who put up an impressive performance in the bronze medal match of the team event against Türkiye. Out of the eight shots Wenchao aimed at the board in that match, six hit 10. After missing out on a medal in the team event, the Chinese archer would be itching to put in an improved performance in the singles competition.

The mixed team events will commence Friday, where India will face Indonesia in the first round.