Paris Olympics 2024: India's results on July 31 – Sindhu, Sen, and Prannoy enter last 16, Swapnil Kusale to fight for gold
Wednesday, July 31, the fifth day of the Paris Olympics 2024, brought immense joy for the Indian contingent.
The day began on a high note, with Swapnil Kusale advancing to the final of the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s event. The Indian shooter will compete for a medal on August 1.
India's badminton stars continued to deliver stellar performances. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu effortlessly defeated Estonia's Kristina Kuuba, topping her group and advancing to the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen caused a major upset by defeating World No. 3 Jonatan Christie, securing his place in the last 16. HS Prannoy also advanced to the last 16, overcoming Vietnam's Le Du Phat in a thrilling three-game match. However, the draw sets up a challenging pre-quarterfinal clash between the Indians.
After a disappointing show on July 30, Indian boxers punched their way into the quarterfinals, with Lovlina Borgohain and Nishant Dev advancing to the last eight. Borgohain delivered a commanding performance, defeating Norway's Sunniva Hofstad 5-0. On the other hand, Nishant Dev secured a hard-fought victory against Ecuador's Jose Gabriel Rodriguez Tenorio with a 3-2 scoreline.
In archery, Deepika Kumari demonstrated her nerves of steel, narrowly edging past Estonia's Reena Parnat in a dramatic shoot-off. Both archers shot an eight, but Kumari's arrow landed closer to the center, clinching the win. In her second round, Kumari defeated Netherlands' Quinty Roeffen 6-2, securing her place in the last 16.
However, Tarundeep Rai faced disappointment, narrowly losing to Great Britain's Tom Hall 6-4 in his round of 32 match.
India’s paddlers put on commendable performances. Sreeja Akula triumphed over Jian Zeng in the round of 32. Despite her valiant effort against China's World No. 1 Sun Yingsha, however, Akula fell short in a closely contested round-of-16 match, one in which she had multiple game points.
Manika Batra made it to the last 16 and gave a spirited performance but was ultimately defeated by Japan's Miu Hirano 1-4.
India’s results at the Paris Olympics 2024 on July 31
Shooting
50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s Qualification
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, 11th place, Score: 589-33x
Swapnil Kusale, 7th place, Score: 590-38x
Trap Women’s Qualification- Day 2
Rajeshwari Kumari, 22nd place, Score: 113
Shreyasi Singh, 23rd place, Score: 113
Badminton
Women’s Singles Group Play Stage: Group M
PV Sindhu beat Kristin Kuuba 2-0 (21-5, 21-10)
Men’s Singles Group Play Stage: Group L
Lakshya Sen beat Jonatan Christie 2-0 (21-18, 21-12)
Men’s Singles Group Play Stage: Group K
HS Prannoy beat Duc Phat Le 2-1 (16-21, 21-11, 21-12)
Rowing
Men’s Single Sculls Semifinals C/D 1
Balraj Panwar, 6th place, Time: 7:04.97
Table Tennis
Women’s Singles Round of 32
Sreeja Akula beat Jian Zeng 4-2 (9-11, 12-10, 1-4, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10)
Women’s Singles Round of 16
Manika Batra lost to Miu Hirano 1-4 (6-11, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 6-11)
Sreeja Akula lost to Sun Yingsha 0-4 (10-12, 10-12, 8-11, 3-11)
Boxing
Women’s 75kg - Prelims - Round of 16
Lovlina Borgohain beat Sunniva Hofstad 5-0
Men’s 71kg - Preliminaries - Round of 16
Nishant Dev beat Jose Gabriel Rodriguez Tenorio 3-2
Archery
Women’s Individual 1 item Archery 1/32 Elimination Round
Deepika Kumari beat Reena Parnat 6-5 (shoot-off)
Women’s Individual 1 item Archery 1/16 Elimination Round
Deepika Kumari beat Quinty Roeffen 6-2
Men’s Individual 1 item Archery 1/32 Elimination Round
Tarundeep Rai lost to Tom Hall 4-6