Dhiraj shines as archers secure quarters berths

Paris, July 25

Led by the in-form Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat, India’s campaign at the Paris Olympics began on a positive note as the country’s archers secured a direct entry into the quarterfinals of both the men’s and women’s team events after finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the ranking round here today.

Debutants Dhiraj and Ankita produced a spectacular show in the qualifications to help India finish in the top-four, giving them favourable draws. The top-four in the team standings directly advance to the quarterfinals, while the 5th to 12th play the Round of 16 fixtures.

The Indian men’s team is seeded third, which means they will not feature in the same pool as the South Koreans in the next round.

The duo of Ankita and Dhiraj will be seeded fifth in the mixed team Round of 16.

World Cup bronze medallist Dhiraj, who defeated Tokyo Olympics silver winner Mauro Nespoli in Antalya, lived up to the expectations by finishing fourth in the individual round. Dhiraj scored 681 points. Appearing in his fourth Olympics, Tarundeep Rai ended 14th with 674 points while Pravin Jadhav finished 39th with 658 points.

Earlier in the day, Ankita left behind seasoned campaigners like Deepika Kumari to emerge as the best-placed Indian at 11th in the women’s individual qualifications. The 26-year-old shot 666 and was followed by Bhajan Kaur (22nd with 559 points) and Deepika (23rd with 658 points).

South Korea’s Lim Sihyeon smashed a world record score of 694 to top the standings.