India at Paris Olympics 2024 Day 11 Roundup:
Before the Olympics began, every Indian had one name on their lips—Neeraj Chopra. This javelin champion, who made history in Tokyo, did not disappoint. On the wrestling mat, Vinesh Phogat's exceptional performance secured a medal. Both athletes have now reached the finals of their respective events.
The final for Vinesh will take place on Wednesday (August 7). She has a golden opportunity to win the gold medal. Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra will compete for the gold medal at 11:50 PM on August 8. Despite a loss to Germany, the Indian hockey team could still win the bronze medal. Let’s take a closer look at India's 11th day at the Paris Olympics.
So far, India ranks 63rd on the medal tally with three bronze medals. The United States, China, and Australia hold the first, second, and third positions respectively.
The current champion Neeraj entered the final of the men’s javelin throw event on Tuesday with an initial throw of 89.34 meters. Meanwhile, wrestler Vinesh Phogat (50 kg) defeated the unbeaten champion Yui Susaki in the first round, causing a major upset and making it to the semifinals. However, India faced disappointment in the men's table tennis singles.
Neeraj's fellow javelin thrower Kishore Jena didn’t make it to the finals, and the men's table tennis team was eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals against top-seeded China.
Neeraj Chopra Qualifies in His First Throw
In Group B qualification, Neeraj made his season-best throw of 89.34 meters to qualify for the finals on August 8. Similar to the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj secured his place in the finals with his first attempt. He topped both Group A and B, dismissing concerns about his adductor injury.
Source: aajtak
This throw is Neeraj’s second-best performance in his career. The Olympic and World Champion won the Tokyo Olympic gold with an 87.58-meter throw. His personal best is 89.94 meters, achieved at the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League, which is also a national record. Unfortunately, Kishore Jena finished ninth in Group A with 80.73 meters and was 18th overall, failing to make it to the top 12 for the finals.
All athletes with throws of 84 meters or more or the top 12 from both groups qualified for the finals.
Vinesh Phogat Secures a Medal
Vinesh pulled off a major upset by defeating Susaki in the women’s 50 kg category and advanced to the semifinals by overcoming Ukraine’s Oksana Livach. Vinesh will face Cuba's wrestler Yusneylis Guzman in the semifinals, which she won 5-0. Now, Vinesh has the golden chance to win a gold medal on Wednesday (August 7) and has assured India of a medal.
Source: aajtak
The Tokyo gold medalist and four-time World Champion Susaki had not faced any defeat in 82 international matches before, but Vinesh overturned the match 3-2 in the final seconds. She then defeated former European Champion and 2018 World Championships bronze medalist Livach 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
Susaki had a 2-0 lead against Vinesh until the last few seconds. Leveraging her experience, Vinesh secured two points by executing a takedown in the last nine seconds. The Japanese team appealed the decision, but the referee upheld Vinesh’s two points after a video review, granting her an additional point for a 3-2 win.
Indian Hockey Team to Play for Bronze
India's men’s hockey team faced a semifinal defeat in the Paris Olympics 2024. They lost 2-3 to Germany in the semifinals held on August 6 (Tuesday). Gonzalo Peillat (18th minute), Christopher Ruhr (27th minute), and Marco Miltkau (54th minute) scored for Germany, while India’s goals came from captain Harmanpreet Singh (7th minute) and Sukhjeet Singh (36th minute).
Source: aajtak
The Indian team will face Spain in the bronze medal match on August 8 at 5:30 PM. On the other hand, Germany will play against the Netherlands in the final on August 8 as well.
Kiran Fails to Make 400 Meters Semifinals
In the women’s 400 meters athletics repechage, India's Kiran Pahal finished last in her heat with a time of 52.59 seconds and failed to qualify for the semifinals. She ranked 23rd among 26 athletes in the repechage. Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo topped heat one with a time of 50.59 seconds. The top athletes from each heat and two fastest others advanced to the semifinals.
Source: aajtak
Indian Men’s Table Tennis Team Loses to China
The Indian men’s table tennis team faced elimination in the pre-quarterfinals against top-seeded China. India’s 14th-seeded team had no answers to the multiple Olympic champions, losing 3-0. Only veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal managed to win a game, while the team lost the remaining matches in straight games.
India’s challenge began with Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar, the world’s 42nd-ranked pair, who lost 0-3 (2-11, 3-11, 7-11) to China’s top-ranked pair Ma Long and Wang Chuqin. Sharath Kamal won the first game against world number two Fan Zhendong but lost the next three games, resulting in a 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5) defeat and China taking a 2-0 lead. In the do-or-die match, world number 59 Manav had to defeat world number one Chuqin, but China’s player sealed the match 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9) to advance to the quarterfinals.
