India’s archery contingent made a promising start at the Paris Olympics, with both the men’s and women’s teams securing quarterfinal berths in the recurve event.
The women’s trio of Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari impressed with a combined score of 666 points, placing fourth in the standings. Bhakat, a debutant at the Games, emerged as the top-ranked Indian archer, finishing 11th in the individual qualifications.
In the men’s team event, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Ramesh Jadhav combined for a score of 2013 points, finishing third behind South Korea and France. Bommadevara, who made a remarkable comeback in the ranking round, finished fourth in the singles qualifying with a score of 681.
South Korea’s Lim Sihyeon set a new world record with a score of 694 in the individual competition, while her compatriot Suhyeon Nam finished second with 688 points. China’s Yang Xiaolei secured the third position with 673 points.
Despite her impressive team performance, Deepika Kumari, a four-time Olympian, had a disappointing outing in the individual qualifications, recording her worst-ever result at the Games. As a result, she missed out on the mixed team berth for the first time, with Ankita set to partner Bommadevara in the mixed team finals.
The top four teams in both the men’s and women’s events earned direct entry into the quarterfinals, bypassing the Round of 16 fixtures. India’s women’s team will face either France or the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, while the men’s team will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
If successful in the quarterfinals, India could face a formidable challenge against the South Korean team, renowned for their dominance in Olympic archery. The Korean women’s team has been particularly invincible, securing their ninth consecutive Olympic medal in Tokyo three years ago.
