The date 1st August during the Tokyo Olympics was the date when PV Sindhu created history by becoming the first-ever Indian woman to win two medals at the Olympics and the Indian men’s hockey team created history by reaching the semi-final after 41 years.
However, 1st August 2024 turned out to be a dreadful day for the Indian medal hopes and fans at the Paris Olympics.
The day started with a moment of joy as Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event and became the first-ever Indian to win a medal in the event.
However, things went downhill quickly for India after that medal.
In a space of three hours after Swapnil’s medal, three of the biggest Indian medal hopefuls exited the quadrennial event without mustering a fight.
Nikhat Zareen in women’s boxing 50kg category, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men’s doubles badminton, and Sift Kaur Samra in women’s 50m 3 positions qualification were the ones who lost in their respective sports.
Here is how this happened:
Nikhat Zareen (Boxing- 50kg)
Two-time World Champion boxer Nikhat Zareen lost 0-5 against Chinese boxer Wu Yu in the second round of the event.
Many predictions regarding Nikhat’s medal chances changed when the unfavorable draw came out with her facing top-seed Wu Yu in the second round.
But irrespective of the draw, the boxer from Hyderabad performed poorly against an attacking Wu Yu.
The Indian boxer was tentative while moving in the court and became defensive when Wu Yu started attacking. Usually known for her technical prowess, Nikhat struggled to find her way out of the attack from Wu.
She started attacking late in the first round but judges had made up their minds by then.
The second round was similar as Nikhat attacked but Wu Yu was equally attacking and won the round 3-2.
In the final round, Nikhat was poor and gave in under the pressure of making a comeback. The Chinese boxer won the final round 5-0.
With Nikhat gone now, India’s medal hopes in boxing lie on Lovlina Borgohain in women’s 75kg category and Nishant Dev in men’s 71kg category.
Both Indian boxers are just one win away from the medal.
Satwik-Chirag (Badminton- Men’s Doubles)
One of India’s medal hopefuls for the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exited in the quarter-finals after losing to arch-nemesis Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia.
Despite winning the first game, the Indian pair erred on serves and failed to put any real pressure on their opponents in the deciding game losing 21-13, 14-21, 16-21.
Touted as the serious medal contenders, the Indian duo’s loss will go down as one of the most heartbreaking moments in Indian sports history.
With HS Prannoy also out of contention, India’s hope lies solely on Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu if she manages to beat He Bing Jao in the round of 16 tonight.
Sift Kaur Samra (Shooting- Women’s 50m rifle 3 Positions)
World record holder in her event, young shooter Sift Kaur Samra faced the jitters and pressure of an occasion like the Olympics when she finished 31st in the qualification round of 50m rifle 3 positions.
The shooter from Punjab shot a poor 575 in the qualification and failed to enter the finals.
With her exit, India’s campaign in rifle shooting is over and the onus lies on Manu Bhaker to win another medal in women’s 25m pistol.