Wednesday, July 31, the fifth day of the Paris Olympics 2024, brought immense joy for the Indian contingent.
The day began on a high note, with Swapnil Kusale advancing to the final of the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s event. The Indian shooter will compete for a medal on August 1.
India's badminton stars continued to deliver stellar performances. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu effortlessly defeated Estonia's Kristina Kuuba, topping her group and advancing to the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen caused a major upset by defeating World No. 3 Jonatan Christie, securing his place in the last 16. HS Prannoy also advanced to the last 16, overcoming Vietnam's Le Du Phat in a thrilling three-game match. However, the draw sets up a challenging pre-quarterfinal clash between the Indians.
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After a disappointing show on July 30, Indian boxers punched their way into the quarterfinals, with Lovlina Borgohain and Nishant Dev advancing to the last eight. Borgohain delivered a commanding performance, defeating Norway's Sunniva Hofstad 5-0. On the other hand, Nishant Dev secured a hard-fought victory against Ecuador's Jose Gabriel Rodriguez Tenorio with a 3-2 scoreline.
In archery, Deepika Kumari demonstrated her nerves of steel, narrowly edging past Estonia's Reena Parnat in a dramatic shoot-off. Both archers shot an eight, but Kumari's arrow landed closer to the center, clinching the win. In her second round, Kumari defeated Netherlands' Quinty Roeffen 6-2, securing her place in the last 16.
However, Tarundeep Rai faced disappointment, narrowly losing to Great Britain's Tom Hall 6-4 in his round of 32 match.
India’s paddlers put on commendable performances. Sreeja Akula triumphed over Jian Zeng in the round of 32. Despite her valiant effort against China's World No. 1 Sun Yingsha, however, Akula fell short in a closely contested round-of-16 match, one in which she had multiple game points.
Manika Batra made it to the last 16 and gave a spirited performance but was ultimately defeated by Japan's Miu Hirano 1-4.
India’s results at the Paris Olympics 2024 on July 31
Shooting
50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s Qualification
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, 11th place, Score: 589-33x
Swapnil Kusale, 7th place, Score: 590-38x
Trap Women’s Qualification- Day 2
Rajeshwari Kumari, 22nd place, Score: 113
Shreyasi Singh, 23rd place, Score: 113
Badminton
Women’s Singles Group Play Stage: Group M
PV Sindhu beat Kristin Kuuba 2-0 (21-5, 21-10)
Men’s Singles Group Play Stage: Group L
Lakshya Sen beat Jonatan Christie 2-0 (21-18, 21-12)
Men’s Singles Group Play Stage: Group K
HS Prannoy beat Duc Phat Le 2-1 (16-21, 21-11, 21-12)
Rowing
Men’s Single Sculls Semifinals C/D 1
Balraj Panwar, 6th place, Time: 7:04.97
Table Tennis
Women’s Singles Round of 32
Sreeja Akula beat Jian Zeng 4-2 (9-11, 12-10, 1-4, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10)
Women’s Singles Round of 16
Manika Batra lost to Miu Hirano 1-4 (6-11, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 6-11)
Sreeja Akula lost to Sun Yingsha 0-4 (10-12, 10-12, 8-11, 3-11)
Boxing
Women’s 75kg - Prelims - Round of 16
Lovlina Borgohain beat Sunniva Hofstad 5-0
Men’s 71kg - Preliminaries - Round of 16
Nishant Dev beat Jose Gabriel Rodriguez Tenorio 3-2
Archery
Women’s Individual 1 item Archery 1/32 Elimination Round
Deepika Kumari beat Reena Parnat 6-5 (shoot-off)
Women’s Individual 1 item Archery 1/16 Elimination Round
Deepika Kumari beat Quinty Roeffen 6-2
Men’s Individual 1 item Archery 1/32 Elimination Round
Tarundeep Rai lost to Tom Hall 4-6
