Paris, Aug 3 (IANS): As the Indian shooters bagged three medals including a historic double bronze by Manu Bhaker, former Olympic medallist and India's Chef-de-Mission Gagan Narang termed it as the greatest show by the shooters in the history of the Games. On Saturday, Bhaker narrowly missed out on adding a third medal to her kitty as she finished fourth in the 25m pistol shooting, she will return home as the only Indian to ever win two medals at the same Olympic Games.
Swapnil Kusale's stunning bronze medal-winning performance in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event also allowed Indian sporting fans to celebrate.
“It has been an emotional first week in Paris, with shooting giving us a head start in the medal tally. I am overwhelmed with happiness to see Manu, Sarabjot and Swapnil win medals at the same time,” the Olympic bronze medallist shooter Narang said. “I remember competing alongside Swapnil in 2017 at the Commonwealth Championship in Gold Coast, where he claimed the bronze medal after giving me a tough fight for the silver. It is truly emotional to see him reaching this level and achieving his dream of winning an Olympic medal for India, and that too, on the same day when I won mine in 2012 in London. It almost feels like destiny,” he added.
“I am so proud of Arjun Babuta as well, who finished fourth in the tough 10m Air Rifle event. This is perhaps the greatest show by Indian shooters in the history of the Games,” Gagan further said.
The Indian athletes also noted several other remarkable achievements in Paris, with both Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula, creating history by reaching the Round of 16 in table tennis.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s hockey team defeated Australia in a group-stage match, their first victory against the Kookaburras in the Games since the 1972 Olympics in Munich. They will take on Great Britain in the quarterfinal on Sunday.
India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat finished fourth in the mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday to secure India’s best result in archery at the Summer Games. In the bronze medal match against the USA’s Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold, Bommadevara and Bhakat lost 6-2 but missed a historic podium finish.
“I am delighted to see our athletes rising to the occasion and delivering such outstanding performances. My heartiest congratulations to all the medal winners so far and all the major achievers in Paris so far. Their performances have shown how much India has grown as a sporting nation over the past decade. I am confident that we are going to win more medals in Paris,” Narang said.
But while the Indian fans are celebrating the successful run, Narang stressed the need to not forget the athletes who managed to make the tough road to Paris in the first place.
"As an athlete, it is everyone's dream to compete at the Olympics, but only a few earn the opportunity after years of hard work. The margins in the Olympics are so low that there’s no difference in preparation between the 1st place and 8th place. While winning medals is important, it is equally important to acknowledge our athletes' efforts for their years of hard work and sacrifice. As a nation, we must celebrate all our Olympians irrespective of the results," he said.
India's top medal prospects in badminton – two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and the dynamic pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty - bowed out of the tournament on Thursday after hard-fought battles.
Promising boxer Preeti Sai Panwar was eliminated after losing in the women's 54 kg Round of 16 against Colombia's Yeni Marcela Arias Castaneda. The 20-year-old shooter Ramita Jindal also became only the second Indian female shooter after Suma Shirur to reach the final in the rifle event, but missed out on a medal.
Gagan praised all the athletes for their performances and said that they would be motivated to scale even higher after their results in Paris.
"I have had my fair share of disappointments in major tournaments. But every time I was unable to achieve the result I desired, I was motivated to do even better and I worked hard for it. All the athletes who were unable to win a medal will have a fire burning brighter in them and they will learn from their opponents and will be inspired to perform even better,” he said.
“I am confident all our Indian athletes are capable of winning medals. They already have made the nation proud reaching so far in their careers, and have sparked a sporting revolution in the country, helping the upcoming generation of athletes to weave golden dreams of their own," he signed off.