Day 3 of the Paris Olympics brought a blend of triumph and heartbreak for the Indian contingent. While the archery team fell short, other athletes delivered promising performances, keeping India’s hopes alive.
In badminton, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history by becoming the first Indian duo to reach the Olympic quarterfinals. Their progress was ensured after the German team withdrew due to injury, and the French pair lost to their Indonesian counterparts.
Manu Bhaker continued her stellar performance, qualifying for the bronze medal match in the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh. The duo scored 580 points, narrowly missing the gold medal match but securing a shot at bronze against South Korea.
In women’s badminton doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffered their second defeat against Japan, placing third in their group.
Arjun Babuta finished fourth in the men’s 10m air rifle final, narrowly missing out on a medal with a score of 208.4 points. Lakshya Sen overcame early setbacks in men’s singles badminton, defeating Belgium’s Julien Carraggi to maintain his campaign.
The men’s archery recurve team, featuring Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav, was eliminated by Turkey in the quarterfinals. Table tennis star Manika Batra continued her impressive run, defeating France’s Prithika Pavade in straight games to advance to the Round of 16.
India’s Olympic journey remains a rollercoaster of emotions, with every event offering new hope and challenges.
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