Paris Olympics 2024 Archery: Dhiraj Bommadevara suffers heartbreaking defeat despite firing a 10 in the shoot-off
In a match that went down to a shoot-off, India's men's archer Dhiraj Bommadevara faced a heartbreaking defeat at the Paris Olympics 2024 against Canada's Eric Peters on Tuesday, July 30. Despite Dhiraj's extremely consistent shooting, the match ended in a shoot-off, where Peters emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins, shooting a ten closer to the center than Dhiraj.
The match commenced with both archers scoring 9 on their initial shots. Dhiraj took the lead in the first set with a 10 on his second shot. Peters, on the other hand, could only manage another 9. A third 9 from the Canadian saw Dhiraj secure the set with a 28-27 win.
In the second set, both archers started with 9s once again. Eric Peters finally found his center, hitting his first 10 of the match on his fifth shot, followed by another 10 on his third arrow, taking his total to 29. Dhiraj's 10 on the last shot was not enough, and Peters took the set 29-28, leveling the score at 2-2.
Dhiraj responded brilliantly in the third set, starting with a 10 and following up with a 9. Peters could only manage two 9s in his first two shots, and Dhiraj’s last shot, another perfect 10, helped him clinch the set 29-27 and take a 4-2 lead.
The fourth set was a display of precision, composure, and perfect archery from both competitors. Dhiraj and Eric started with a 10 and continued to hit perfect scores, resulting in a tie. Dhiraj and Peters scored a perfect 30, and this helped the Indian maintain his lead at 5-3.
The Indian archer also ended up hitting his second shot in the dead center of the target, showcasing the high standard of archery that took place.
Heading into the fifth and final set, Dhiraj needed a tie or a win to secure the match. However, Peters displayed remarkable calmness and did the unthinkable, achieving back-to-back perfect scores. Dhiraj hit six successive 10s but faltered on his last shot with a 9. Peters won the set 30-29, bringing the overall score to 5-5 and forcing a shoot-off.
In the shoot-off, both archers shot a 10, but Peters' arrow was 2.4 cm closer to the center, giving him the win and bringing Dhiraj's journey in the men's individual event to a heartbreaking end.
Earlier in the day, Dhiraj Bommadevara secured a 7-1 (29-29, 29-26, 29-28, 28-26) victory in his round of 64 Olympics match against Czechia’s Adam Li.
Bhajan Kaur enters last 16 at the Paris Olympics 2024
Earlier on Tuesday, July 30, India’s 18-year-old archer, Bhajan Kaur, delivered a spectacular performance, defeating Indonesia's Syifa Kamal and Poland’s Wioleta Myszor in her first and second rounds, respectively, to advance to the Round of 16 in the women's individual event at the Parist 2024 Olympics.
Kaur edged past Kamal in a highly intense match, winning 7-3, and then completely whitewashed Myzsor with a dominant 6-0 victory. She will next face Indonesia's Diananda Choirunisa in her next women's individual matchup at the Olympics.