Prediction: Can the Indian women's archery team win a medal at Paris Olympics 2024?
The Indian women's archery team delivered a stellar performance during the ranking rounds at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday, July 25, at Les Invalides. This impressive display has sparked hopes of a historic medal at the Olympics in the archery events for India.
The trio comprising Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Bhajan Kaur collectively secured fourth place in the women’s team ranking round, earning them a direct spot in the quarter-finals. Their combined score of 1983 points placed them just behind Mexico, who scored 1986 points. This fourth-place finish marks the best-ever ranking-round finish for the Indian women’s team at the Olympics.
Ankita Bhakat, 26, led the Indian scoring with a season-best score of 666, finishing 11th in the individual rankings. Bhajan Kaur, the 18-year-old newcomer, secured 22nd place with 659 points, while four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari finished 23rd with 658 points.
What are the medal chances for the Indian women's archery team at the Paris Olympics 2024?
Historically, India has not won an Olympic medal in archery. The Paris Olympics 2024 presents a golden opportunity for the Indian women’s archery team to make history and secure their first medal.
With their fourth-place finish in the ranking round, the Indian women's archery team receives a bye in the Round of 16. They are set to face either France or the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on July 28.
France, ranked third in the World Archery rankings, is likely to emerge victorious against the 10th-ranked Netherlands. The French team includes Barbelin Lisa, who scored 652 points to finish 30th, Cordeau Amelie with 661 points at 17th, and Lopez Caroline with 659 points at 21st.
Indian women's archery team, ranked eighth in the World Archery rankings, will face a tough challenge against the third-ranked French team. This makes France a formidable opponent, especially considering their home advantage.
Individually comparing the women archers of France and India, the rankings are close, with Deepika Kumari at World No. 12, Ankita Bhakat at 40, and Bhajan Kaur at 45. On the French side, Barbelin Lisa is ranked 11th, Lopez Caroline at 44, and Amelie Cordeau at 101.
Should the Indian women's archery team overcome France in the quarter-finals, they will likely face the dominant Korean women’s archery team in the semi-finals. The Koreans topped the ranking rounds with an Olympic record of 2046 points.
Lim Si-Hyeon led the charge, breaking both the world and Olympic records with a score of 694/720, and is currently ranked World No. 2. Nam Suhyeon and Jeon Hunyoung, ranked second and 13th, respectively, round out the formidable Korean trio.
Korean women’s archery team is the top-ranked nation and has won gold in women's team events at every Olympics. While defeating the Korean team would be a monumental task, if the Indian women's archery team somehow manages to pull that off, then a medal will be confirmed (either gold or silver).
If the Indian team loses in the semi-finals, they will compete in the bronze-medal match against the loser of the other semi-final. Given their current form and ranking-round performance, the Indian women’s archery team stands a strong chance of clinching a bronze medal and ending India’s medal drought in archery at the Olympics.