Paris Olympics 2024 Archery: Deepika Kumari fires her way into the quarter-finals
In a nail-biting pre-quarterfinal match at the Paris 2024 Olympics, India’s former World No. 1 archer, Deepika Kumari, triumphed over Germany’s Michelle Kroppen on Saturday, August 3. The Indian archer beat her German counterpart with a score of 6-4 to secure her place in the quarter-finals.
The match started on a tense note, with Kroppen misfiring her first arrow, scoring a 6. Deepika seized the opportunity, hitting a 9. Kroppen responded with a 9, but Deepika matched her. The set concluded with both archers scoring 9s, giving Deepika a 27-24 win in the first set.
In the second set, Kroppen started stronger, hitting a 9. However, Deepika responded with a perfect 10. Kroppen followed with another 9, and Deepika scored an 8, equalizing the scores. Both archers then fired 9s with their last arrows, resulting in a tie and each taking a point from the set.
The third set saw a shaky start from both competitors, each scoring a 7 with their first arrow. Kroppen improved with two consecutive 9s, but Deepika hit the center with her next arrow and a 9 from her last one saw her take the set 26-25.
In the fourth set, Kroppen and Deepika started with a 9 and an 8, respectively. Both archers then hit the center with their second arrows. Kroppen’s final arrow was another 10, virtually sealing the set and pushing the match into a decider.
The fifth and final set saw Kroppen hit three solid 9s, while Deepika started with an 8 but quickly found the very center of the target in her next shot. Her last arrow, a 9, equaled Kroppen’s score, leading to both archers taking a point each. This tie in the final set secured Deepika’s overall victory with a score of 6-4.
Deepika Kumari will now take on Suhyeon Nam of South Korea in the quarterfinals scheduled for August 3, 5:09 PM IST.
Bhajan Kaur narrowly misses out on a place in the last eight at the Paris Olympics 2024
In an extremely close Round-of-16 encounter, 18-year-old Indian archer Bhajan Kaur saw her journey at the Paris Olympics come to a heartbreaking end.
Facing Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa, Kaur staged a remarkable comeback to level the match and force a shoot-off. However, an eight from Kaur compared to Choirunisa’s nine saw her narrowly miss out on a place in the last eight.