Paris Olympics 2024: Dhiraj Bommadevara's stellar 4th place in the ranking round propels Indian archers to third place in men's team event
The Indian men’s archers put on an outstanding performance during the ranking round at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Dhiraj Bommadevara spearheaded proceedings to finish an impressive fourth; he narrowly missed out on a top-three finish. Dhiraj scored the same points and shot the same number of 10s as Germany’s Florian Unruh, who took third place by virtue of having one more X (shots hit the innermost ring) than Dhiraj. The two were just one point behind South Korea’s Kim Je Deok, who secured second place.
Tarundeep Rai also delivered a commendable performance, finishing 14th with a score of 674, only two points shy of breaking into the top 10. Meanwhile, Pravin Jadhav, although not too far behind in points, ended up in 39th place, 25 spots behind Rai. The trio helped India finish third in the men's team event rankings with a combined score of 2013.
A closer look at the men's individual ranking round at the Paris Olympics 2024
The ranking round witnessed a rocky start from the Indian archers, who took some time to find their rhythm. At the halfway mark, after 36 arrows, Tarundeep Rai was India’s highest-ranked archer with 337 points, placing him 14th. Dhiraj Bommadevara, just two points behind at 335, stood at 24th rank. While Pravin Jadhav was positioned in 37th place.
India’s combined score of 1000 placed them 6th, with Korea (1032), France (1011), Italy (1009), Chinese Taipei (1002), and China (1000-21x) leading the pack.
The second half of the competition saw a resurgence from the Indian archers. They began with a bang and maintained their momentum right through to the end. They propelled India to third place in the eighth end, and after nine ends, Dhiraj was ranked 8th, Rai was 10th, and Jadhav climbed to 32nd place.
Dhiraj’s performance in the closing stages was particularly remarkable. He shot an impressive seventeen 10s out of the last twenty-four arrows, accumulating 232 points out of a possible 240. His consistency saw him work his way up in the standings to ultimately finish 4th.
However, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav slipped a few positions to finish in 14th and 39th place, respectively. Their combined score of 2013 ensured India’s third-place finish and secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
The South Korean team, comprising Kim Je Deok, Kim Woojin, and Lee Wooseok, took first place with a combined score of 2049, while hosts France finished second with 2025 points.
Earlier in the day, India’s women archers also put on a strong show. Ankita Bhakat led the group, finishing an impressive 11th, missing out on the top 10 by a single point. Youngster Bhajan Kaur finished 22nd, and Deepika Kumari placed 23rd.
Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat’s combined score of 1347 also helped India secure 5th place in the mixed team event standings. They were just one point behind China in fourth and two points behind the USA in third.