Olympics24: India start well in most events on day 1

 

Indian athletes have started participating in various events at the Olympics from Saturday. They have taken part in competitions like shooting, rowing, and badminton. Currently, two Indian competitors are competing in shooting. Manu Bhaker has reached the finals in the women's 10m air pistol event, while Rhythm Sangwan finished 15th.

India's shooting campaign at the Paris Olympics began with disappointment. In the 10m air rifle mixed team event, none of the Indian pairs could reach the medal rounds. The pair of Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal finished sixth in the preliminary round, while the duo of Sandeep Singh and Elavenil Valarivan ended in 12th place.

India holds the world record in this event, so there were high expectations for medals in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. However, none of the Indian pairs were able to finish in the top four at any stage of the preliminary rounds. Arjun and Ramita finished with 628.7 points, while Sandeep and Elavenil scored 626.3 points.

A Chinese pair took first place with 632.2 points. The South Korean duo, who finished second, scored 631.4 points. These two teams will compete for the gold medal. The Kazakhstani pair, finishing third with 630.8 points, and the German duo, finishing fourth with 629.7 points, will compete for the bronze medal.

Men's 10m Air Pistol

The men's 10m air pistol event also ended in disappointment. Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema could not reach the finals. Arjun started well but couldn't maintain his accuracy in the later stages, finishing 18th with 574 points out of 600. Sarabjot, despite a strong finish, couldn't make it to the finals either, finishing ninth with 577 points. German Robin Walter, who finished eighth to secure a spot in the finals, also scored 577 points but hit 17 bullseyes compared to Sarabjot's 16, thus advancing ahead.

Women's 10m Air Pistol

Manu Bhaker has raised medal hopes in this event. She reached the finals, finishing third in the preliminary round. Hungary's Veronika Major and South Korea's Oh Ye Jin, who finished first and second respectively, both scored 582 points. Manu scored 580 points but hit the most bullseyes (27). Rhythm Sangwan, despite a good start, disappointed by finishing 15th with a score of 573.

Men's Single Sculls Rowing heat

In the men's single sculls rowing heat, India's Balraj Panwar finished fourth with a time of 7 minutes 7.11 seconds. Balraj still has a chance to advance to the semifinals and will compete in the repechage event on Sunday.

Men's Badminton Singles

Lakshya Sen started his Olympic campaign with a win. In his first group stage match in the men's badminton singles, Lakshya defeated Guatemala's Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in a match that lasted 42 minutes. While he won the first game easily, the second game required more effort.

Men's Table Tennis Singles

India's Harmeet Desai secured an easy victory in the preliminary round of men's table tennis singles, defeating Jordan's Abo Yaman Zaid 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5. The match ended in 30 minutes.

Badminton Doubles

In badminton doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their first match. They defeated their French opponents in straight games, winning the first game 21-17 and the second game 21-14. The match lasted 46 minutes, securing their advancement to the next round.

Hockey

India could have faced a setback in their first match of Olympic hockey, but thanks to Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh, they didn't. Harmanpreet scored the winning goal with two minutes left in the game, and Sreejesh made two crucial saves. India defeated New Zealand 3-2. Despite trailing initially and being tied 2-2 in the fourth quarter, India held their nerve to secure the win. Mandeep Singh and Vivek Prasad also scored goals for India.

India could have faced a setback in their first Olympic hockey match, but Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh ensured that didn't happen. With just two minutes left in the game, Harmanpreet scored the winning goal, while Sreejesh made two crucial saves. India managed to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory over New Zealand. Despite New Zealand initially taking the lead and equalizing in the fourth quarter, India kept their nerves and emerged victorious. Besides Harmanpreet, Mandeep Singh and Vivek Prasad also scored goals.

India got an opportunity early in the first quarter. In the fourth minute, Abhishek entered New Zealand's D-box and took a shot, but the Kiwi goalkeeper saved it. However, New Zealand scored in the first quarter through a penalty corner, with Sam Lane netting the goal. Shortly after, Gurjant Singh received a green card.

At the start of the second quarter, India narrowly avoided conceding a goal. Although the Indian defense was initially overwhelmed, Amit Rohidas managed to save a New Zealand attack at the last moment. Five minutes before halftime, India equalized. The New Zealand goalkeeper saved a penalty corner but failed to clear it, and Mandeep Singh scored from the ensuing scramble.

India scored at the beginning of the third quarter, with Vivek Sagar Prasad netting the goal. New Zealand protested the goal, but the umpire upheld it after reviewing the video referral. Near the end of the third quarter, PR Sreejesh made a brilliant save, blocking a close-range shot from a New Zealand player. Moments later, Kiwi goalkeeper Dominic Dixon made a good save as well.

In the fourth quarter, India conceded another goal with eight minutes left in the game. New Zealand was awarded a series of penalty corners, and Simon Child scored from one of them. Towards the end, India earned two consecutive penalty corners. During the second one, the ball struck a Kiwi player’s hand, resulting in a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet scored from the penalty stroke, securing the win for India.