Indian Women’s Archery Team Falls to Netherlands in Paris 2024 Quarter-Finals

Laden with high expectations, Indian women’s archery team, composed of Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari, unfortunately was defeated by the Netherlands 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics at Les Invalides.

Bhajan Kaur stood out as the most consistent archer for India, shooting three 10s, two 9s, and an 8. Despite Kaur’s strong performance, Deepika Kumari and Ankita Bhakat struggled to cope with the challenging wind conditions, each managing only one 10.

India, the fourth seed, had a promising start with Bhajan Kaur scoring a 10 on her first shot of the opening set. Things look positive for India in the beginning 

However, a 7 each from Deepika Kumari and Ankita Bhakat allowed the 12th-seeded Dutch team, consisting of Quinty Roeffen, Gaby Schloesser, and Laura van der Winkel, to secure the set 52-51 and take an early lead which proved more than enough in the end to register victory.

The second set saw Ankita Bhakat and Bhajan Kaur both hit 10s initially, giving India a two-point advantage midway through. India moved ahead competitively but failed to maintain that consistency. 

Nevertheless, another pair of 6s from Kumari and Bhakat resulted in India losing the set 54-49 which change the scenario of the game.

A 4 on Ankita Bhakat’s opening shot of the third set put India at a disadvantage from the start. The Dutch team capitalized with two 10s and comfortably closed out the match with a 53-48 victory in the final set.

In other news, the Indian men’s archery team, featuring Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav, is set to compete in their quarter-finals match on Monday.

Additionally, all six Indian archers will participate in the individual rounds beginning Tuesday. Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara will also team up for the mixed team event on Friday.