Paris Olympics 2024: India's results on August 1–Swapnil Kusale shoots his way to a bronze, Sen enters last 8, Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag, Prannoy bow out
Thursday, August 1, proved to be a day of contrasting emotions for the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics 2024. While there were moments of joy and triumph, heartbreaks overshadowed many of India's hopes.
Swapnil Kusale emerged as a hero with an incredible performance, shooting his way to a historic bronze medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men's Final. This achievement marked the third medal for India at these games, and notably, the third medal won by Indian shooters at the Paris Olympics 2024.
It was a bittersweet day for Indian shuttlers. Lakshya Sen delivered an impressive performance, defeating fellow Indian HS Prannoy to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. However, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu saw an end to her journey in the round of 16 as she succumbed to China's He Bing Jiao.
The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who were among the favorites for a medal, also faced a narrow defeat in their quarterfinal match. They lost in a closely contested three-game battle against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh, dashing India's hopes for a medal.
Apart from Kusale's victory, the shooting events saw disappointing ends for India. Sift Kaur Samra and Anjum Moudgil finished 31st and 18th, respectively, in the qualification rounds, failing to make it to the finals.
In hockey, India's team suffered a 1-2 defeat against Belgium in their group-stage match. Boxer Nikhat Zareen also ended her Olympic campaign after losing to Wu Yu in the round of 16.
The racewalking events saw Paramjeet Singh Bisht, Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh, and Priyanka all failing to secure podium finishes in their respective categories.
Archer Tarundeep Rai also faced a tough 6-0 defeat against Wenchao Kao. Despite the scoreline, Rai's performance was commendable and didn't reflect the true competitiveness of the match.
India’s results at the Paris Olympics 2024 on August 1
Athletics
Men's 20km Race Walk:
Paramjeet Singh Bisht: 37th place, Time: 1:23.48
Akshdeep Singh: DNF
Vikash Singh: 30th place, Time: 1:22.36
Women's 20km Race:
Priyanka: 41st place, Time: 1:39.55
Golf
Men's Individual Stroke Play Round 1:
Gaganjeet Bhullar: T56
Shubhankar Sharma: T29
Shooting
50m Rifle 3 Positions Men's Final:
Swapnil Kusale: BRONZE MEDAL (3rd place), Score: 451.4
50m Rifle 3 Positions Women's Qualification:
Sift Kaur Samra: 31st place, Score: 575-22x
Anjum Moudgil: 18th place, Score: 584-26x
Hockey
Men's Pool B:
India lost to Belgium, 1-2
Boxing
Women's 50kg Prelims - Round of 16:
Nikhat Zareen lost to Wu Yu, 0-5
Archery
Men's Individual 1/32 Elimination Round:
Pravin Ramesh Jadahav lost to Wenchao Kao, 0-6
Sailing
Men's Dinghy Race 1:
Vishnu Saravanan: 10th place, Points: 10
Men's Dinghy - Race 2:
Vishnu Saravanan: 34th place, Points: 34
(ranked 25th after race 1 and 2)
Women's Dinghy - Race 1:
Nethra Kumanan: 6th place, Points: 6
Badminton
Men's Doubles Quarterfinal:
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty lost to Aaron Chia/Wooi Yik Soh 1-2 (21-13, 14-21, 16-21)
Men's Singles Round of 16:
HS Prannoy lost to Lakshya Sen, 0-2 (12-21, 6-21)
Women's Singles Round of 16:
PV Sindhu lost to He Bing Jiao, 0-2 (19-21, 14-21)