India’s Bhajan Kaur faced a gut-wrenching defeat against Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa in the women’s archery 1/8 elimination round at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Saturday, August 3.
Despite the 18-year-old Indian archer’s remarkable comeback to level the match after five sets, she narrowly lost in the shoot-off. Both archers were tied 5-5 after the regular sets, but Kaur’s score of 8 in the shoot-off fell short of Choirunisa’s 9, ending the match in a 6-5 victory for the Indonesian.
Choirunisa initially led 4-2 after three sets, taking the first set 29-28. Bhajan responded with a 27-25 win in the second set to draw level, but Choirunisa edged ahead again by winning the third set 28-26. The fourth set saw both archers score 28, bringing the score to 5-3 in favor of Choirunisa. Bhajan fought back in the fifth set with a 27-27 draw, pushing the contest to a decisive shoot-off, where she ultimately lost.
While this result was disappointing for Bhajan, India’s Deepika Kumari provided some relief by securing her place in the quarterfinals. The experienced archer defeated Germany’s Michelle Kroppen 6-4, showing her class by maintaining composure throughout a closely contested match.
