Paris Olympics 2024 Day 6 Wrap: India's Tough Day at the Games As Sindhu, Nikhat, Sat-Chi Among Losers

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Day 6 at the Paris Olympics 2024, Thursday (August 1), turned out to be a challenging day for the Indian contingent. Despite the high hopes and immense talent within the 117-member squad, several top medal hopefuls faced unexpected exits, leaving Indian sports enthusiasts with a mixed bag of emotions.

Amidst the disappointments, Swapnil Kusale provided a silver lining by clinching a bronze medal in the Men's 50m Rifle Three Positions Final. Kusale's performance stood out as the beacon of hope for India on an otherwise dismal day across various disciplines.

Big Badminton Setbacks

The badminton courts saw some of the most heart-wrenching exits. PV Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist chasing her record third medal, lost to He Bing Jiao of China with scores of 19-21, and 14-21 in the Women's Singles Round of 16.

HS Prannoy lost to compatriot Lakshya Sen, 21-12, 21-6 in the Men's Singles Round of 16, ensuring that Sen remained the lone Indian shuttler in medal contention.

The Men's Doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also faced a tough quarterfinal match, losing to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh 21-13, 14-21, 16-21.

The Indian pair put up a fight in the second game and played well in the first half of the deciding third game but unforced errors from the duo gave the Malaysians an opportunity to turn it around and seal the game.

Reigning World Champion Nikhat Zareen Boxing Disappointment

Indian boxing sensation, Nikhat Zareen, suffered a shocking defeat in the Women's 50kg pre-quarterfinal. She was outboxed by China's Wu Yu, losing by a unanimous verdict. This loss was a significant blow as Zareen was a strong contender for a medal.

Race Walk Challenges

The track and field events commenced with India's race walkers facing early exits. In the Men's 20km Race Walk Final, Vikash Singh finished 30th, Paramjeet Singh Bisht came 37th, and Akshdeep Singh did not finish. Priyanka Goswami finished 41st in the Women's 20km Race Walk Final.

Women Rifle Shooters Disappoint

In the Women's 50m Rifle Three Positions Qualification, Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra fell short, finishing 18th and 31st, respectively, failing to advance to the medal rounds. Both the shooters, who have been doing very well on the international stage, looked like a mere shadow of themselves and exited.

Hockey Heartbreak against Belgium

The Indian men's hockey team's unbeaten streak in the group stages came to a halt as they lost to reigning Olympic champions Belgium 2-1 in their penultimate group-stage tie. This defeat was a setback for the team's momentum heading into the final stages of the tournament.

The Harmanpreet Singh-led side took an early lead and maintained it till the first half but the reigning Olympic champions came back strongly to score in the second half of the game and won it. India's penalty corner conversion remains a concern.

Archery and Sailing Struggles

In archery, Pravin Jadhav was defeated by China's Kao Wenchao 0-6 in the Men's Individual 1/32 Elimination Round. Meanwhile, in sailing, Vishnu Saravanan finished 25th after Race 2 in the Men's Dinghy, and Nethra Kumanan was in 6th place after Race 1 in the Women's Dinghy, with Race 2 being delayed.

Golfing Gains

On the golf course, India's Gaganjeet Bhullar finished tied for 56th and Shubhankar Sharma tied for 29th in the Men's Individual Stroke Play Round 1, setting the stage for potential improvements in the upcoming rounds.

A lot many Indian athletes will be in action on Friday (Day 7) and they should look to put their best foot forward by letting go of the disappointments of the previous day.