Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara are on the brink of securing India's first archery medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. The Indian duo advanced to the semifinal after defeating Spain's Spain's Elia Canales and Pablo Acha 5-3 in the mixed team archery recurve quarterfinal.
Ankita Bhakat, Dhiraj Bommadevara secure place in the medal round
Indian archers Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara secured their place in the medal round after a commanding victory over Spain in the quarterfinals of the mixed team archery recurve event. The Indian duo clinched the match with a 5-3 scoreline. The pair took an early lead in the first set, with Dhiraj delivering consecutive perfect scores of ten. Ankita contributed with two nines, resulting in a total of 38 points for India. Spain responded with three nines and a ten, falling short by a single point. The second set ended in a draw, with both teams scoring 38 points. Spain leveled the match at 3-3 in the third set, capitalizing on a stronger performance. India managed only one ten from Dhiraj, and the team finished with 36 points, allowing Spain to take the set by a single point.
In the fourth and final set, Ankita's second shot was off target, scoring only eight points. However, Dhiraj compensated with two perfect tens, giving India a total of 37 points.
Spain struggled to match India's consistency. Pablo scored a nine, while Elia managed only an eight with their first arrows. Although Elia recovered with a ten, it was too late to prevent India from securing the set and advancing to the semifinals.
With this victory, India secured a place in the medal round, marking a historic achievement for the country's archery team.
Earlier, the Indian pair stormed to the quarterfinals on the same day with a dominant 5-1 victory over Indonesia in the Round of 16. The Indian duo secured wins in the first and third sets with scores of 37-36 and 38-37, respectively. While the second set ended in a draw with both teams scoring 38 points, India's performance in the fifth set was exceptional, as they achieved a perfect score of 50 with five consecutive tens.
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