Day 7 of the Paris Olympics 2024 was a rollercoaster for Team India, featuring both moments of triumph and heartbreak. Manu Bhaker advanced to the final in the 25m Air Pistol event, eyeing her third medal of the Games, while Lakshya Sen secured a historic win in the Badminton Men’s Singles quarterfinal, becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semi-finals in Olympic history.
However, the day wasn’t without its setbacks. Archers Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara faced disappointment as they lost the bronze medal match in the mixed team event to the USA, with a 2-6 defeat against Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison. Despite this, there is still hope that the Indian contingent can bounce back and bring more glory home.
Detailed Events of Day 7:
- Men’s Singles Scull: Rower Balraj Panwar concluded his Olympic campaign with a 23rd-place finish after placing fifth in the Final D round.
- Women’s 25m Air Pistol: Manu Bhaker moved one step closer to achieving a record third medal in the Paris Olympics by qualifying for the final in the 25m Pistol women’s event.
- Archery Mixed Team: Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara began the day strong, defeating Indonesia 5-1 to reach the quarterfinals, though they later fell short in their bronze medal match.
- Women’s Judo: Tulika Maan’s Olympic journey ended quickly, as she was defeated in the first round by former champion Idalys Ortiz in just 28 seconds.
- Men’s Golf: Shubhankar Sharma ended Round 2 tied for 25th with a score of 3 under par, while Gaganjeet Bhullar was tied for 52nd at 2 over par.
- Women’s Dinghy: After finishing 15th and 27th in Races 2 and 3, Nethra Kumanan currently stands in 11th place overall with 21 net points.
- Men’s Hockey: The Indian men’s hockey team delivered a stunning 3-2 victory over Tokyo silver medalist Australia in their final pool B match. Already assured of a quarterfinal berth, the Indian team displayed dominance, earning their first Olympic win against Australia since 1972.
- Archery Mixed Team: The 36-year medal drought in archery continued as Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat narrowly missed out on a historic bronze medal.
- Badminton Men’s Singles: Lakshya Sen’s dream debut continued as he defeated Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, making him the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semi-finals of the Olympic Singles Badminton event.
- Women’s 5000m Heats: Parul Chaudhary clocked her season’s best time of 15:10.68 but finished 16th in her heat, missing out on a spot in the final.
The Indian contingent remains focused and determined as they move into the next phase of the competition, with hopes high for more medals in the coming days.
