“Always same story in 4 Olympics now?” - Fans lash out at Deepika Kumari after her loss in the women's individual QF at Paris 2024 Olympics
Indian archery ace Deepika Kumari lost in the quarter-finals of the women’s individual archery event at the Paris 2024 Olympics after going down 4-6 to Nam Suhyeon of South Korea.
The defeat ensured that the Indian archers would return empty-handed from the ongoing Summer Olympics. After the game, netizens took to social media to express their anger at the veteran archer for her performances in Paris.
“No way Deepika Kumari again bottled the Quarter final sets with her 6 and 7! Is this some kind of joke?” one fan posted. “Always same story in 4 Olympics now?”
Many criticised the supposed weak mentality of Deepika against her South Korean opponent, with one saying:
“You can't expect to be the best without defeating the best, look at Deepika Kumari she had the chance she lost due to her, 7 8 it's illegal to score 8 against Korean.”
“Deepika kumari was given the best, In fact our whole archery team was given the best preparation possible…they couldn’t bring a medal. It’s terrible,” another posted.
Many fans posted that the right defeat against the favorites South Korea would provide a heartbreaking result for Deepika.
“HEART BREAK FOR DEEPIKA KUMARI ...!!!!” one fan wrote on X. “She lost in the Quarter-final, that 6 & 7 will hurt her badly forever.”
“HEART BREAK STREAK CONTINUES… Earlier today Bhajan Kaur lost in the pre quarter final and now Deepika Kumari in the quarter final," another wrote.
One fan took matters to the extreme and suggested that Deepika should retire after the recent results, writing:
“It would be great for #IndiaArchery if she herself says that this was my last Olympics and now the next generation will take forward from here.”
Deepika Kumari crashes out of the Paris 2024 Olympics after a tight loss against South Korea
Deepika, who is one of the most experienced members of the archery contingent in the Paris 2024 Olympics, would be gutted after she lost to 19-year-old Nam Suhyeon of South Korea despite turning in a strong performance.
Deepika, a two-time World Championships silver medalist, started the match perfectly after winning the first set 28-26, hitting two 9 and a 10. However, Nam was in no mood to let go of the bout, winning the second set 28-25 and tying the match 2-2.
The back-and-forth continued, with India winning the third set 29-28, and South Korea putting things on level points by winning the fourth set 29-27. However, Nam was simply too good in the fifth and final set, hitting two 10 and a 9 to win the set and match by 6-4.