Paris (France): India’s hopes of winning its first medal in archery ended in heartbreak as Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara lost the bronze medal match in the Mixed Team event against USA’s Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison at Invalides in the Paris Olympics on Friday.
In the first set, despite scoring three 10s Bhakat’s opening shot of 7 proved costly for India as they lost 38-37 to trail 0-2.
In the next set too, Bhakat opened scoring with a 7 before bettering it to 9 while Bommadevara scored 10 and 9 to accumulate 35. However, Ellison’s double 10s sealed the set for the USA with a total of 37.
In the third set, Bhakat recovered well to start with 10 and 9 with her partner adding 9 and 10 to bag the set with a total of 38 against the USA’s total of 34.
In the fourth set, Bhakat could only get 8s in both her shots while Bommadevara scored 9 and 10 to reach a total of 35 which was not enough to fulfill the bronze dream as the USA scored 37 to win the match and medal by 6-2 score.
Earlier, the Indians failed to overcome the challenge of a top South Korean combine in the semifinals and lost 2-6.
The Indian pair started with a 2-0 lead after finishing 38-36 in the first set. However, South Korea’s Lim Si-hyeon and Kim Woo-jin, the top-rated pair in the world, scored 38 in the second set to level the score 2-2 after India managed only 35. Bhakat and Bommadevara failed to bounce back in the next two sets and ended on the losing side.
The Indian pair of Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara advanced to the Mixed Team semifinals after beating Spain’s Elia Canales and Pablo Acha Gonzalez 5-3 in the quarterfinal.
Previously, they beat Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa and Arif Pangestu 5-1 in the Round of 16 to progress to the quarterfinals.
–IANS
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