India’s campaign on Day 2 of the 2024 Paris Olympics is packed with high-stakes events, with Manu Bhaker taking center stage early in the day. Bhaker, the Indian pistol shooter, is aiming for India’s first medal of the Games and potentially a historic gold. On Saturday, Bhaker became the first Indian female shooter in 20 years to reach an Olympic final in an individual event. She finished third in the qualifications with a score of 580 points, behind Hungarian Veronika Major, who topped with 582 points. Rhythm Sangwan, another Indian shooter, placed 15th with a score of 573.
This day holds significant importance for the 22-year-old Bhaker, who faced a disappointing campaign at the 2020 Tokyo Games. India also seeks redemption after an underwhelming start in Paris, with early exits in the 10m air rifle mixed teams and men’s 10m air pistol qualifiers.
Additionally, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, India’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony, will begin her campaign in women’s singles. HS Prannoy will compete in the men’s singles. The spotlight will also be on Indian archers Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari, who aim for a semifinal spot in the women’s team event.
Indian table tennis stars Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, and Sreeja Akula will start their singles campaigns.
Badminton
- Women’s Singles (Group stage): PV Sindhu vs FN Abdul Razzaq (Maldives) — 12:50 pm
- Men’s Singles (Group stage): Prannoy HS vs Fabian Roth (Germany) — 8:00 pm
Shooting
- Women’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Elavenil Valarivan — 12:45 pm
- Men’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta — 2:45 pm
- Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final: Manu Bhaker — 3:30 pm
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Rowing
- Men’s Single Sculls (Repechage 2): Balraj Panwar — 1:18 pm
Table Tennis
- Women’s Singles (Round 2): Sreeja Akula vs Christina Källberg (Sweden) — 12:15 pm onwards
- Women’s Singles (Round 2): Manika Batra vs Anna Hursey (Great Britain) — 12:15 pm onwards
- Men’s Singles (Round 2): Sharath Kamal vs Deni Kozul (Slovenia) — 3:00 pm onwards
Swimming
- Men’s 100m Backstroke (Heat 2): Srihari Nataraj — 3:16 pm
- Women’s 200m Freestyle (Heat 1): Dhinidhi Desinghu — 3:30 pm
Tennis
- Men’s Doubles (Round 1): Rohan Bopanna/N Sriram Balaji vs Gael Monfils/Edouard Roger-Vasselin — 3:30 pm
- Men’s Singles (Round 1): Sumit Nagal vs Corentin Moutet (France) — 3:30 pm
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Archery
- Women’s Team (Quarter-finals): India (Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari) vs France/Netherlands — 5:45 pm
- Women’s Team (Semi-finals if qualified): 7:17 pm onwards
- Women’s Team (medal rounds if qualified): 8:18 pm onwards
Stay tuned for an exciting day as India’s athletes compete across various events, aiming to bring home medals and make the nation proud.