Paris Olympics 2024: Indian athlete of the day on July 25 ft. Dhiraj Bommadevara

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The Indian archery teams can take a moment to relish their impressive performances in the ranking rounds at the Paris Olympics 2024. Both the men's and women's teams secured top-four finishes, granting them direct entry into the quarter-finals and brightening their prospects for a historic medal.

A total of six Indian archers showcased their skills in the ranking rounds. On the women's side, India had the experienced Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and the young sensation Bhajan Kaur. Representing the men were Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Pravin Jadhav.

Among these talented archers, 22-year-old Dhiraj Bommadevara, India's top-ranked men's recurve archer and World No.12, truly stood out. Making his Olympic debut, Dhiraj finished fourth in the men’s individual ranking round with a score of 681. He narrowly missed out on third place to Germany’s Florian Unruh, who also scored 681 but edged ahead in the tie-breaker with 15 X’s compared to Dhiraj’s 14.

This remarkable performance saw Dhiraj outshine some of the world’s best, including World No.3 Lee Woo Seok of Korea and World No.4 Mete Gazoz of Turkey, who finished fifth and eighth, respectively. Dhiraj’s strong showing has undoubtedly boosted India's medal hopes in archery.

Other Indian performances

In the women’s individual ranking round, Ankita Bhakat led the Indian charge, finishing 11th with a season-best score of 666. Bhajan Kaur followed with 659 points, securing 22nd place, while four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari ranked 23rd with 658 points.

Despite not-so-great individual standings, their collective score of 1983 points earned them a fourth-place finish and a direct spot in the quarter-finals, where they will face either France or the Netherlands.

On the men’s side, alongside Dhiraj’s stellar performance, Tarundeep Rai secured 14th place with 674 points, and Pravin Jadhav finished 39th with 658 points. Together, they amassed a total of 2013 points, finishing third and securing their place in the quarter-finals. Their opponents will be either Colombia or Turkey.

The top individual finishers for India, Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara, will now form a part of the mixed team event. Their combined efforts secured a fifth-place finish with a total of 1347 points, setting the stage for a promising run in the mixed-team competition.

As we look ahead, the question on every fan's mind is: Can Dhiraj Bommadevara and the Indian archery team translate their ranking round success into medals?