The Indian women's archery team has impressively made it to the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics 2024, showing great skill and determination.
On the opening day itself, the Indian Women's Archery Team has made a strong start at the Paris Olympics 2024. A total of three archers, Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari, finished rank four in the ranking round conducted on July 25 and secured a direct qualification into the quarterfinals for this team event.
Indian Women's Archery Team Performance in Ranking Round
In the ranking round, the Indian team scored a total of 1983 points, including 21 bullseyes and 83 tens. This impressive performance allowed them to qualify directly for the quarterfinals.
Korea led the rankings with a total score of 2046 points, followed by China with 1996 points, and Mexico narrowly edged out India for third place with 1986 points.
Ankita Bhakat turned out to be the best performer for India, finishing 11th individually for her best performance in this season. Bhajan Kaur and Deepika Kumari finished 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Though Deepika faced some issues at the beginning, she somehow pulled through towards the end of the round to help the team seal this fourth-place finish.
Key Highlights of the Ranking Round
- Ankita Bhakat: Consistently performed well, starting strong with a bullseye and maintaining her form throughout the rounds. She ended the ranking round in 11th place, marking her season's best finish.
- Deepika Kumari: Struggled initially but managed to improve her performance in the later stages, finishing in 23rd place.
- Bhajan Kaur: Had a steady performance, ending in 22nd place.
The ranking round saw intense competition, with Lim Sihyeon of Korea setting a new world record by scoring 694 points.
WORLD RECORD #ArcheryInParis pic.twitter.com/JsjPvlrRz4
— World Archery (@worldarchery) July 25, 2024
Short Breakdown of Paris Olympics 2024 Archery's Ranking Round
The day started with a slight delay, but once it began, Lim Sihyeon of Korea set the tone as she strung together a series of bullseyes to shatter the world record with 694 points. Bullseye got Ankita Bhakat off to a great start for India too, and she held her form through the rounds, mapping a lot to the team's score.
Deepika Kumari didn't have a very great start; she wasn't getting into the rhythm, but she gradually improved. Bhajan Kaur was quite consistent; ranking in the middle at the beginning, she rose with subsequent rounds.
Overall, Team India's consistency in the ranking rounds kept them always in contention. They overtook the hosts, France, and caught up with Mexico at several points to finish just one place behind them in the rankings.
First step to glory.Archers arrive at the qualifying rounds! #ArcheryInParis pic.twitter.com/jnRhaESE1A
— World Archery (@worldarchery) July 25, 2024
Now, India will face either the Netherlands or France in the last eight. If form is anything to go by, Indian archers do stand a chance of progressing further and more so, ending up on the podium.
The final rounds of the Archery competitions are slated between July 28 and August 4 at the historic Les Invalides in Paris, so make sure you tune in to the event.
Well, the graph of the Indian archery team so far in these Olympics in Paris has been commendable, and it testifies to their progress in being in the quarterfinals. So, fans and supporters alike now wait to watch and cheer for the success of their favorite team in the upcoming matches.