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It was another medal day for India at the Paris Olympics 2024 as Swapnil Kusale bagged India’s third bronze in the men’s 50m rifle 3P event and became the first Indian to do so in the particular event. On the other hand, it proved to be an unlucky day for Indian shuttlers as everyone except Lakshya Sen faced heartbreaking defeats to put an end to their Summer Games 2024 campaign. Sen moved past compatriot HS Prannoy and secured his quarterfinal berth and is the sole Indian shuttler remaining in the medal race. India’s biggest medal hopes including two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and ace men’s duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost their respective clashes.
In this article, we will go through all the big news that took place on Thursday, August 1 at the Paris 2024.
Shooting
Swapnil Kusale wins bronze in Men’s 50 Rifle 3-Positions
India’s Swapnil Kusale clinched third medal for the country, which came as bronze in men’s 50m rifle 3-positions on Thursday, August 1 at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Paris. The Indian got his hands on the bronze medal after scoring an aggregate of 451.4 points in his rally of 44 shots at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 28-year-old shot a total of 50.8 in the first series of kneeling position (9.6, 10.4, 10.3, 10.5 and 10.0), taking the sixth spot in the eight-man final. He followed it with a 50.9 in the second series with a score of 10.1, 9.9, 10.3, 10.5 and 10.1. Kusale continued to be at the sixth place after Series 3 of kneeling with another total of 51.6 (10.5, 10.4, 10.3, 10.2 and 10.2), adding to his aggregate of 153.3.
Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra fail to qualify for women’s 50m rifle 3P final
Indian shooters Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra failed to register their berth in the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event at the Paris Olympics 2024. On Thursday, August 1, Moudgil and Samra competed in the qualification round of the women’s 3P event, and failed to qualify for the finale event by finishing 18th and 31st, respectively. Moudgil, who appeared in her second Olympics, managed to score 584 with 26 inner 10s. On the other hand, Sift totalled 575 with 22 inner 10s during the qualification round. Notably, only top eight shooters will feature in the final, scheduled on Friday, August 2. The qualification round saw USA’s Sagen Maddalena and China’s Zhang Qiongyue setting an Olympics Qualification record with 593 points.
Badminton
PV Sindhu crashes out after R16 defeat against China's He Bing Jiao
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu crashed out of Paris Olympics 2024 after pre-quarters defeat to China's He Bing Jiao at the La Chapelle Arena on Thursday . Sindhu slumped to her Chinese counterpart by a scoreline of 19-21, 14-21 in a hard-fought R16 battle, putting an end to her Olympic medal streak. The match saw Sindhu giving a tough competition to her counterpart; however, Jiao kept scoring back-to-back points and avenged her previous Olympic loss, that came exactly two years ago, in two straight sets.
Lakshya Sen beats HS Prannoy 21-12, 21-6 to reach quarterfinals
Lakshya Sen defeated fellow Indian HS Prannoy in straight games in the pre-quarterfinals of the men’s singles badminton event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, Prannoy was no match to the skill and aggression of Sen, who reached the quarter-final stage with a scoreline of 21-12, 21-6. The start of the first game saw Lakshya Sen get off to a flyer before earning a 11-6 lead over HS Prannoy at the halfway break. Sen kept the momentum going in the first game with his enterprising play, allowing Prannoy no opening to make a comeback before taking it 21-12.
Satwik-Chirag suffer heartbreaking quarter-final defeat vs Chia-Yik 21-13, 14-21, 16-21
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in three games in the quarter-final of the men’s doubles badminton event at the Paris Olympics 2024. At the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, the Indian pairing went down in three games 21-13, 14-21, 16-21. In the early stages of the first game, both the Indian and Malaysian pairings were neck-to-neck in scoring points, not allowing each other to get ahead in the contest. At the halfway break, Satwik-Chirag managed to find themselves in the 11-10 lead against Chia-Yik.
Golf
India’s golfer Diksha Dagar involved in accident; set to compete as planned at Paris Olympics 2024
Diksha Dagar, was involved in an accident in Paris ahead of the Olympics, but she will be taking part in her event as planned after coming out of it relatively unscathed. The 23-year-old and her family members, who were in a car, got hit by another vehicle after returning from a function at the India House on Tuesday night, July 30. Diksha Dagar was accompanied in the car by her father and caddie Col Naren Dagar, along with her mother and brother, according to the report from the Indian Express. Col Naren Dagar went on to reveal that his daughter is fine, and she will be practising for the women’s golf event scheduled to start from August 7 to 10.
Boxing
Female boxer Angela Carini abandons fight in 46 seconds vs opponent who failed gender test; breaks down in tears afterwards
Angela Carini, the Italian women’s boxer, abandoned the fight in the welterweight division at the Paris Olympics 2024 in just 46 seconds against Algerian Imane Khelif, breaking down in tears afterwards. At the North Paris Arena, she was hurt badly in the initial stages of the round of 16 match, getting her headgear dislodged before suffering a suspected broken nose. The inclusion of Imane Khelif at the Paris 2024 despite the failed testosterone and gender eligibility tests sparked a big controversy in the world of sport and beyond. She was one of the two boxers allowed to compete at the Olympics despite being disqualified from the World Championships last year due to a failed gender test.
Archery
Pravin Jadhav loses 0-6 to Kao Wenchao in round of 32
On Thursday, August 1, Pravin Jadhav, the Indian archer, lost in a one-sided match in the round of 32 against China’s Kao Wenchao 0-6 in men’s individual archery event at the Paris Olympics 2024. With the elimination of Pravin Jadhav, India won’t have a men’s archer competing in the round of 16 at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. The performance from Pravin Jadhav in the round of 32 clash was decent, but Kao Wenchao managed to score one more point in all the three sets, to emerge victorious. The Chinese managed to win in straight sets with a scoreline of 29-28, 30-29, 28-27, dashing the hopes of Pravin Jadhav in the process.
Hockey
India suffer tough 1-2 defeat against Belgium in Pool B match
On Thursday, August 1, the Indian men’s hockey team suffered a tough 1-2 defeat against the reigning Olympic and world champions Belgium in the Paris Olympics 2024 Pool B match at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir. India had the 1-0 lead at half-time, but Belgium managed to score two goals in the second half, to register their fourth straight win in the pool. In the first quarter, India and Belgium played some enterprising hockey in the attacking third, but they were unable to break the deadlock with PR Sreejesh and Vincent Vanasch making key saves. The start of the second quarter saw India steal a goal via a smart finish from Abhishek after Arthur de Sloover gave away the ball at the edge of the circle in the 18th minute.
