Photo: India’s archer Ankita Bhakat competing in the women’s ranking round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, held at the Gardens of Les Invalides in Paris. ( Courtesy: PTI )
Paris: Debutant Ankita Bhakat made a remarkable debut by finishing as the highest-placed Indian archer in the women’s individual recurve qualifications at the Paris Olympics, securing 11th place with 666 points. Her impressive performance was notable, especially compared to seasoned archer Deepika Kumari, who finished 23rd with 658 points, and Bhajan Kaur, who ended 22nd with 559 points.
In the women’s team event, India clinched the fourth spot with a total score of 1983 points. South Korea led the standings with 2046 points, while China and Mexico secured the second and third positions, respectively. The top four teams advanced directly to the quarterfinals, where India will face the winner of the match between France and the Netherlands.
If India advances past the quarterfinals, they could face the Korean team, which has a strong track record, having won a medal in the previous nine consecutive Olympics. In individual recurve qualifications, Korean archer Lim Sihyeon set a new world record with a score of 694, with her compatriot Suhyeon Nam in second place with 688 points. China’s Yang Xiaolei rounded out the top three with 673 points.
Ankita, hailing from Bengal and representing Tata Academy, emerged as a standout performer. At the same time, Deepika Kumari, a four-time Olympian, struggled with her performance, marking her worst qualification result to date. As a result, Deepika will miss the mixed team event for the first time, with Ankita taking the top spot among Indian women. Ankita will compete in the mixed team finals alongside the top Indian male archer, whose qualifications will be determined in the afternoon session.
( Report from the inputs of Agencies )
