Indian Archers Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat Miss Bronze at Paris Olympics
Indian archers Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the recurve archery mixed team event at the Paris Olympics. Despite making history by reaching the semi-finals, they lost to the USA in the bronze medal match.
Speaking after the match, Dhiraj said, “It feels good that we have performed better than in past Olympics. But also, we are sad to miss out on a medal this time. We have improved a lot. SAI (Sports Authority of India), TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), and the federation have supported us a lot. We will keep working hard. Whatever we have learned here, we will try to put those learnings into practice and improve our performances.”
The duo faced tough competition, with Ankita’s initial shots missing the mark, allowing the American team to secure the win. In the first set, Ankita struck a seven, and the US team led by one point. Despite Dhiraj’s efforts, the American archers won the second set as well. India managed to win the third set but ultimately lost the fourth set, resulting in a 6-2 win for the USA.
Before the bronze medal match, Dhiraj and Ankita fell short in the semi-finals against South Korea’s Kim Woojin and Lim Sihyeon.
Doubts Revealed
Dhiraj Bommadevara -: Dhiraj Bommadevara is an Indian archer who competes in archery events. Archery is a sport where you shoot arrows at a target.
Ankita Bhakat -: Ankita Bhakat is also an Indian archer. She competes in the same sport as Dhiraj, which involves using a bow to shoot arrows at a target.
Bronze -: A bronze medal is a prize given to the person or team that finishes third in a competition. It is made of bronze, which is a type of metal.
Paris Olympics -: The Paris Olympics is a big sports event that happens every four years where athletes from all over the world compete. This time, it is being held in Paris, the capital city of France.
Recurve archery -: Recurve archery is a type of archery where the bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung. It is used in the Olympics.
Mixed team event -: A mixed team event is a competition where both men and women compete together on the same team.
Semi-finals -: The semi-finals are the matches that happen just before the final match. The winners of the semi-finals get to compete in the final for the top prize.
USA -: USA stands for the United States of America, which is a country in North America. In this context, it refers to the American archery team.
Heartbreak -: Heartbreak means feeling very sad and disappointed. Dhiraj felt this way because they lost the match.
Improvement -: Improvement means getting better at something. Dhiraj mentioned that their team has been getting better at archery.
Determination -: Determination means not giving up and trying hard to achieve something. Dhiraj and Ankita are determined to keep practicing and getting better.
