"Dhiraj is a successor of Deepika Kumari" - Netizens lash out at Bommadevara for his performance in men's archery quarterfinals
The Indian men’s archery team crashed out of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday (July 29) after a 2-6 loss against Turkey. Star archer Dhiraj Bommadevara was a major disappointment in the match with some poor shots in the opening and closing sets.
Netizens took to social media to air their frustration at Bommadevara’s performance, as the Indian men’s archery team’s Paris 2024 Olympics journey ended with heartbreak.
One fan on X compared Bommadevara's performance in the quarter-final match with that of the Indian women’s archery team’s Deepika Kumari, who was also disappointing in her performance as Indian women's archery team lost to the Netherlands on Sunday.
“Dhiraj is a successor of Deepika Kumari,” the fan wrote sarcastically.
Other fans expressed their disappointment in Bommadevara for his poor handling of pressure at big games. One wrote:
“Poor from Dhiraj, he faltered when he was expected to perform [at] his best. Shooting 7 & 8s at such a crucial stage is unacceptable.”
“Dhiraj cannot handle pressure,” another fan wrote on X.
Dhiraj Bommadevara puts in shocking performance as Indian men’s archery team falters against Turkey
Bommadevara, who has been India’s star performer in archery at the Paris 2024 Olympics, showed his excellent skills in the ranking round on Thursday (July 25). The 22-year-old scored an aggregate of 681 points to lead India to a fourth-place finish and secure a position in the quarter-finals.
However, against the six-seeded Turkish team on Monday, Bommadevara faltered in his usually precise game and scored a plethora of seven and eight-pointers at crucial stages in the four sets. He had a few good moments, including a 10-pointer in the third set which India won, but he was by and large the most disappointing performer in the team, which also consists of the veteran Tarundeep Rai and newcomer Pravin Jadhav.