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Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Dhiraj Bommadevara stars for India with 681 points as India qualify for quarter-finals in team and mixed events

Catch all the LIVE Updates of the Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 as Indian archers look to start their campaign on a high note before the grand opening tomorrow.

Jul 25, 2024, 5:49 AM1 min read

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Dhiraj Bommadevara stars for India with 681 points as India qualify for quarter-finals in team and mixed events

Hello and welcome to Sportz Point's LIVE coverage of the Paris Olympics 2024. We will bring you all the updates, news, schedule and results throughout the Olympics via our Paris Olympics 2024 archive.

This is Koushik Biswas, along with other team members of Sportz Point will bring all the LIVE Updates of Opening Day -1 (25th July) as Indian archers take the field.

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LIVE Updates

Jul 25, 2024, 4:07 PM

More from Archery: New Olympic record by South Korea

With Lim Sihyeong already smashing a World Record with a stunning 694 in the Women's Recurve, Kim Woojin's 686 in the men's ranking round helped South Korea break the Olympic record in archery mixed team with a total of 1380 points. - sportzpoint.com

 

With Lim Sihyeong already smashing a World Record with a stunning 694 in the Women's Recurve, Kim Woojin's 686 in the men's ranking round helped South Korea break the Olympic record in archery mixed team with a total of 1380 points.

 

They broke their previous record of 1368, set in Tokyo.

Jul 25, 2024, 3:39 PM

Archery Updates: Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara to compete in the QFs of mixed event

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Ankita Bhakat finished with season-best 666 points - sportzpoint.com

 

With a total accumulative points of 1347, Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara finished in fifth position in the mixed event and will participate in the quarter-finals on August 2. 

Jul 25, 2024, 3:32 PM

Dhiraj Bommadevara is the star for India on day -1

Paris Olympics 2024 LIVE Updates: Dhiraj Bommadevara's 681 points helped him get the 4th seed in the men's individual even - sportzpoint.com

Jul 25, 2024, 3:30 PM

India finish at third; qualify for quatrer-finals

India qualified for the quarter-final of the men's event with 2013 points. Korea and France are first and second while China are in fourth position. They quarter-finals will be played on July 29. 

Jul 25, 2024, 3:28 PM

Archery updates: Dhiraj and India finish strong

1. Dhiraj Bommadevara - 681 points - 4th place 

2. Tarundeep Rai - 674 points - 14th place 

3. Pravin Jadhav - 658 points - 39th place 

Jul 25, 2024, 2:31 PM

ICYMI: Lim Sihyeon with a New World and Olympic record

Lim Sihyeon of the Republic of Korea scored 694 out of a possible 720 to set a new world and Olympic record - sportzpoint.com

Lim Sihyeon of the Republic of Korea scored 694 out of a possible 720 to set a new world record in the women's individual recurve archery ranking round at the Olympic Games, beating both An San's Olympic record of 680, who set this at Tokyo 2020, and Kang Chaeyoung's world record of 692, also at the 2019 World Championships.

It also improved its own Olympic Record in the team category to 2046 for the Republic of Korea.

Jul 25, 2024, 2:12 PM

Archery Live Updates: India at 3 after stunning second half

India at the number three position after the 10th round. 

 

  1. Dhiraj Bommadevara - 566 points, 6th rank
  2. Tarundeep Rai - 561, 11th rank
  3. Pravin Jadhav - 550, 34th rank

Jul 25, 2024, 1:48 PM

India placed at sixth after 6 rounds

At the halfway mark, India are sixth with 1000 points.

  1. Tarundeep Rai 337 points
  2. Dhiraj Bommadevara 335 points
  3. Pravin Jadhav 338 points

Jul 25, 2024, 12:15 PM

Men’s Individual ranking to start soon!

Men's individual rankings event to start soon with three Indian archers in action!

Jul 25, 2024, 10:23 AM

Archery Updates: Women's individual rankings (final)

  1. Ankita Bhakat - 666 points - 11th 
  2. Bhajan Kaur - 659 points - 22nd
  3. Deepika Kumari - 658 points - 23rd

Jul 25, 2024, 10:20 AM

Round of 64 fixtures for individual event (round of 64)

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Ankita Bhakat finished with season-best 666 points - sportzpoint.com

 

Round of 64 fixture for Indian women's archers in individual event:

  • Ankita Bhakat vs Wioleta Myszor
  • Bhajan Kaur vs Syifa Nurafifah Kamal
  • Deepika Kumari vs Reena Pernat

 

Jul 25, 2024, 10:18 AM

Team India in QFs

With 1983 points, Indian Women's team qualified for the Quarter-finals. 

 

They will be in action in the team event on Sunday.

Jul 25, 2024, 9:52 AM

Indian Men's archers to compete in ranking round from 5.45 pm IST

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Men's Archery to start from 5.45 pm IST - sportzpoint.com

 

Pravin Jadhav, Tarundeep Rai and Dhiraj Bommadevara will be in action for India in the Men's individual ranking round from 5.30 pm IST.

Jul 25, 2024, 9:27 AM

Archery LIVE Updates: India finish at 4th place

India finish at 4th place after the final round. Out of 600, Ankita Bhakat finished with 554, and Bhajan Kaur and Deepika scored Kumari 550 and 545 respectively.

Jul 25, 2024, 8:59 AM

Archery LIVE Updates: India still at 6th place at half-way mark

Ankita Bhakat holds India's pride with 335 points while Bhajan Kaur and Deepika Kumari finish with  330 and 327 points respectively. 

 

India at 6th position after the halfway mark. 

Jul 25, 2024, 8:53 AM

Andy Murray withdraws from Men's Singles

Murray will now focus on Men's doubles with Dan Evans. 

 

Jul 25, 2024, 8:42 AM

Archery LIVE updates: India at 6 after 6th round

After the 6th round, India placed in 6th position with Ankita Bhakat - 335, Bhajan Kaur - 330 and Deepika Kumari - 327 points each.

Jul 25, 2024, 8:40 AM

Handball Fina result: Slovenia 19-27 Denmark

Paris Olympics 2024 LIVE Updates | Handball Fina result: Slovenia 19-27 Denmark - sportzpoint.com

 

Denmark win the first match as they beat the debutant Slovenia by 27-19. 

Jul 25, 2024, 8:04 AM

Archery Women's Individual ranking round is underway

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Women's individual ranking round is underway - sportzpoint.com

 

At Invalides, the Women's Individual ranking round is underway. India's three women archers along with other 61 archers from various countries will take part to get a higher seeding for the round of 32. 


There are six rounds in the individual competitions: first round (1/32), second round (1/16), third round (1/8), quarterfinals, semifinals and finals (bronze and gold medal matches).

Jul 25, 2024, 7:56 AM

Slovenia vs Denmark Handball LIVE Updates: Slovenia 11-14 Denmark

Paris Olympics 2024: Slovenia vs Denmark Handball LIVE Updates: Slovenia 11-14 Denmark - sportzpoint.com

 

At half-time, the Bronze medalists of the 2023 World Championship, Denmark are leading by 14-11 with Trine Østergaard scoring four goals for them. 

Jul 25, 2024, 7:52 AM

Paris Olympics 2024: Day -1 full schedule

Handball: Women's preliminary round
12.30 - Slovenia vs Denmark (Group A)
14:30 - Netherlands vs Angola (Group B)
17:30 - Spain vs Brazil (Group B)
19:30 - Germany vs Rep. of Korea (Group A)
22:30 - Hungary vs France (Group B)
00:30 (Next day) - Norway vs Sweden (Group A)

Archery
13.00 - Women's individual ranking round
17:45 - Men's individual ranking round

Men's Rugby Sevens
17:30 - Samoa vs Kenya (Pool B)
18:00 - Argentina vs Australia (Pool B)
18:30 - USA vs Uruguay (Pool C)
19:00 - Fiji vs France (Pool C)
19:30 - South Africa vs Japan (Pool A)
20:00 - New Zealand vs Ireland (Pool A)
23:30 - Men's placing 9 vs 12
00.00 (Next Day) - Men's placing 10 vs 11
00.30 (Next Day) - Men's quarter-final
1.00 (Next Day) - Men's quarter-final
1.30 (Next Day) - Men's quarter-final
2.00 (Next Day) - Men's quarter-final

Women's Football
18:30 - Canada vs New Zealand (Group A)
20:30 - Spain vs Japan (Group C)
22:30 - Germany vs Australia (Group B)
22:30 - Nigeria vs Brazil (Group C)
00:30 (Next Day) - France vs Colombia (Group A)
00:30 (Next Day)- USA vs Zambia (Group B)

Jul 25, 2024, 7:33 AM

Where to watch Paris Olympics 2024 LIVE in India?

Indian fans can watch the Paris Olympics 2024 LIVE on Sports18 Network TV channels. Moreover, they can LIVE stream the events on the Jio Cinema app and Website. 

Jul 25, 2024, 6:27 AM

How does the rankings round work?

Here is the rule for the rankings round would work: 


  • A maximum of 3 archers from each country/ each gender will be able to participate
  • Each archer will shoot a maximum of 72 arrows, and a total of that will be counted as a score.
  • Total Score will help to decide their seeding from 1-64 based on the ranking round.

Jul 25, 2024, 6:09 AM

What the Indian archers will be looking for from the rankings round?

Six Indian archers will be looking to get as favourable a seeding as possible from the individual rankings round. The Women's individual event's round of 16 will be played on Sunday followed by the Men's round of 16 round on Monday.

 

Here is India's full schedule at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Jul 25, 2024, 6:00 AM

Who are in action today for India?

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - sportzpoint.com

 

Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, Pravin Jadhav, Tarundeep Rai and Dhiraj Bommadevara will be in action for India in both men's and women's individual ranking rounds.


This is the first time since London 2012 that Indian archers have been able to get all the available six quotas in archery.

Jul 25, 2024, 5:52 AM

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) Schedule for Indian athletes

Archery

  • Women’s ranking round - 1:00 PM (IST)
  • Men’s ranking round - 5:45 PM (IST)
Next Article

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

Wherever Neeraj Chopra goes, he does not return empty-handed. So, it's time we take a look at every Neeraj Chopra records that he has made in his tremendous career so far.

May 18, 2025, 10:23 AM5 min read

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

Wherever Neeraj Chopra goes, he does not return empty-handed. This series started in 2016 when this rising star made a record for the first time at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships. From that day itself, we got a glimpse of the future to come, in which many records were to be made and broken one after the other.

On Friday night of 16 May, Neeraj maintained the same trend in Doha Diamond League 2025 and got his name registered in history, becoming the first Indian to breach the 90m mark in the sport. So, it's time we take a look at every Neeraj Chopra records that he has made in his tremendous career so far.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

  • First Indian to breach the 90m mark: Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best. It was the first time an Indian had breached the 90m-mark in the javelin.
  • First Indian to win Olympic medal in athletics: At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj Chopra produced a historic performance in the men's javelin throw event. Neeraj won the gold medal in the final with a throw of 87.58m, giving India its first Olympic medal in athletics. With this win, Neeraj Chopra also became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track and field event at the Olympics.
  • First Indian to win silver at World Athletics Championships: Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a historic silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. He recorded a throw of 88.13m in his fourth attempt to claim the second spot. Chopra thus is the first Indian to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships and only the second medallist from the country after Anju Bobby George in 2003.
  • First Indian track and field athlete to win world championship: Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. With this win, the then 18-year-old Neeraj became the first Indian track and field athlete to become a world champion in any event and any age level.
  • First Indian World Record holder in track & field: Neeraj Chopra Threw 86.48m at the junior championships in Poland to win the title. With this, he set the new under-20 world record, beating the 84.69m mark established by the previous holder, Latvia's Zigismunds Sirmais. Neeraj’s 86.48m attempt at Bydgoszcz still stands as both the U20 world record as well as the U20 Asian record in the javelin throw.
  • Indian national javelin throw record holder: Neeraj Chopra’s best attempt to date came at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 in Sweden on June 30, 2022, where he managed his personal best of 89.94m to establish the new national record.
  • First Indian to win javelin throw gold at Asian Games: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. Before him, Gurtej Singh was the only men’s javelin thrower from the country to win a medal – bronze at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games. Neeraj threw  88.06m to claim the 2018 Asian Games title.
  • First Indian to win a Diamond League meet: Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet after he topped the field in Lausanne in 2022. With a depleted field that had world champion Anderson Peters missing, the Indian comfortably led the charts with an 89.08m throw, in his first attempt. 
  • First Indian to become Diamond League champion: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian athlete in history to clinch the Diamond League trophy, by winning the Zurich Diamond League 2022 Final. The Indian ace recorded a best throw of 88.44m to beat Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and 2016 champion Jakub Vadlejch to the title.
  • First Indian to become world champion: Neeraj Chopra became India's first world champion after he clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest with an effort of 88.17m. It was Neeraj Chopra's second straight medal at the world championships after his silver at Oregon 2022.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Neeraj Chopra Records: Best throws at major competitions

Event Edition Distance Result
Diamond League
Doha 2025 90.23m Second place
Olympic Games Paris 2024 89.45m Silver medal
Asian Games Hangzhou 2023 88.88m Gold medal
Diamond League Stockholm 2022 89.94m Second place
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 2018 86.47m Gold medal
World Championships Oregon 2022 88.39m Second place - Q
Asian Championships Bhubaneshwar 2017 85.23m Gold medal
World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016 86.48m Gold medal
Asian Junior Championships Ho Chi-Minh 2016 77.60m Silver medal
South Asian Games Guwahati 2016 82.23m Gold medal
Next Article

Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best.

May 17, 2025, 10:11 AM4 min read

Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra bettered his throw of 89.94m with a season-best throw of 90.23m at the at the Doha Diamond League 2025. After this, he became the first Indian to breach the 90m mark in the sport.

Read Also: Every Neeraj Chopra Records You Should Know 

Despite the historic achievement, Chopra missed out on the top podium spot at the Doha Diamond League, where Germany’s Julian Weber stole the show with a massive throw. Chopra’s previous best was 89.94m, set on June 30, 2022, at the Stockholm Diamond League — a mark that stood as both his personal best and the men’s national record.

Neeraj achieved his target

  • Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best.
  • The second-best throw of Neeraj Chopra's career is 89.94m. Neeraj had thrown this throw in the Stockholm Diamond League on 30 June 2022. This throw is a national record and one of Neeraj Chopra's best throws.
  • Neeraj Chopra's third-best throw of 89.49m came at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024This is Chopra's best throw ever at a global championship and his third-best overall.
  • Neeraj Chopra's fourth-best throw in javelin throw came at Paris Olympics 2024 where he bagged the silver medal with an 89.45m throw. 
  • His fifth best throw came in Paavo Nurmi Games in 2022 where he went close to that 90m mark once again.
  • In the Lausanne Diamond League 2022, held in the month of August, Neeraj Chopra had thrown the sixth-best throw of his career. Neeraj had thrown the javelin 89.08 meters.
  • Neeraj's seventh-best throw came in the Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou. In this round, Neeraj had achieved a distance of 88.88m.
  • Neeraj Chopra's eighth-best throw came in the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest. In this competition which was held on August 25, 2023, Neeraj showed excellent performance and achieved a distance of 88.77m.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Neeraj Chopra’s best throws | Full list to date

Rank Throw Competition Date
1 90.23m Doha Diamond League 2025 May 16, 2025
2 89.94m Stockholm Diamond League 2022 June 30, 2022
3 89.49m Lausanne Diamond League 2024 August 22, 2024
4 89.45m Paris 2024 Olympics - F August 8, 2024
5 89.34m Paris 2024 Olympics - Q August 6, 2024
6 89.30m Paavo Nurmi Games 2022 (Turku) June 14, 2022
7 89.08m Lausanne Diamond League 2022 August 26, 2022
8 88.88m Asian Games 2023 (Hangzhou) October 4, 2023
9 88.77m World Athletics Championships 2023 (Budapest) - Q August 25, 2023
10 88.67m Doha Diamond League 2023 May 5, 2023
11 88.44m Zurich Diamond League Final 2022 September 8, 2022
11 88.44m Doha Diamond League 2025 May 16, 2025
13 88.39m World Athletics Championships 2022 (Oregon) - Q July 21, 2022
14 88.36m Doha Diamond League 2024 May 10, 2024
15 88.20m Doha Diamond League 2025 May 16, 2025
16 88.17m World Athletics Championships 2023 (Budapest) - F August 27, 2023
17 88.13m World Athletics Championships 2022 (Oregon) - F July 23, 2022
18 88.07m Indian Grand Prix 3 2021 (Patiala) March 5, 2021
19 88.06m Asian Games 2018 (Jakarta) August 27, 2018
20 88.00m Zurich Diamond League Final 2022 September 8, 2022
21 87.86m Brussels Diamond League Final 2024 September 14, 2024
22 87.86m ACNW League Meeting 1 2020 (Potchefstroom) January 28, 2020
23 87.80m Federation Cup 2021 (Patiala) March 17, 2021
24 87.73m World Athletics Championships 2023 (Budapest) - F August 27, 2023
25 87.66m Lausanne Diamond League 2023 June 30, 2023
26 87.58m Tokyo 2020 Olympics - F August 7, 2021
27 87.46m Stockholm Diamond League 2022 June 30, 2022
28 87.43m Doha Diamond League 2018 May 4, 2018
29 87.03m Tokyo 2020 Olympics - F August 7, 2021
30 87.00m Zurich Diamond League Final 2022 September 8, 2022
31 86.92m Paavo Nurmi Games 2022 (Turku) June 14, 2022
32 86.84m Stockholm Diamond League 2022 June 30, 2022
33 86.82m Brussels Diamond League Final 2024 September 14, 2024
34 86.79m Kuortane Games 2021 June 26, 2021
35 86.69m Kuortane Games 2022 June 18, 2022
36 86.67m Stockholm Diamond League 2022 June 30, 2022
37 86.65m Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Q August 4, 2021
38 86.52m Doha Diamond League 2023 May 5, 2023
39 86.48m World U20 Championships 2016 (Bydgoszcz) July 23, 2016
40 86.47m Commonwealth Games 2018 (Gold Coast) April 14, 2018

Next Article

Archery World Cup 2024: Deepika Kumari bags silver in the women’s recurve event

In the Archery World Cup 2024 final match, Deepika had to face defeat by 0-6 against Li Jiaman of China. Deepika, the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion, had performed brilliantly in the quarter and semi-finals.

Oct 21, 2024, 9:16 AM3 min read

Archery World Cup 2024: Deepika Kumari bags silver in the women’s recurve event

India's leading recurve archer Deepika Kumari won her sixth World Cup final medal by winning silver in the Archery World Cup 2024 final in Tlaxcala, Mexico on Sunday. 

Also Read: West Bengal Rifle Association conducts workshop under former Olympian Jitu Rai to help pistol shooters in Bengal

In the Archery World Cup 2024 final match, Deepika had to face defeat by 0-6 against Li Jiaman of China. Deepika, the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion, had performed brilliantly in the quarter and semi-finals. She defeated Li's Chinese teammate Yang Xiaolei 6-0 and then defeated bronze medalist Alejandra Valencia 6-4 in her own home ground. But in the gold medal match, she lost to Jiaman, who had won the silver medal in the team event at the Paris Olympics 2024.

This was Deepika's ninth World Cup final

Recorded a spectacular victory in the semi-finals, Deepika was participating in the Archery World Cup final for the ninth time. The Indian archer also finished runners-up on five occasions - 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2024. She won the bronze medal in 2018.

Till now Dola Banerjee is the only Indian who won an archery gold medal in the World Cup final. She achieved this feat in 2007 in Dubai.

Deepika could not maintain the momentum

Deepika was seeded third among eight archers. After a spectacular win in the semi-finals against  Valencia, Deepika could not maintain the momentum. She lost the first set by one point (26-27). Despite improvement in the second set, Chinese archer Li took a 2-0 lead (30-28) with 30 points including an X-ring shot.

The decision was taken in the third set. Deepika's second arrow landed in the red 7-ring, allowing Li to claim victory with three solid 9 points. She won the set 27-25 and secured the gold medal in his first World Cup final.

Deepika recently became a mother

Four-time Olympic medalist Deepika returned to the World Cup after the birth of her daughter in December 2022. Three years later, she made a comeback in the World Cup final.

Deepika performed poorly in Paris Games

At the Paris Olympics, Deepika Kumari participated in two events - the women's individual and women's team with Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat. Her run ended in the quarter-finals in both events.

Deepika Kumari had qualified for the Archery World Cup Final based on her 2024 World Cup series rankings. She had also won an individual silver at the Shanghai World Cup.

Also Read: "Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal": Mary Kom hints to make a comeback in Pro-Boxing

Dhiraj lost in the first round

In the men's recurve category, Dhiraj Bommadevara lost to Paris Olympics bronze medalist Lee Woo-seok of South Korea in the first round despite being ahead by 4.2 seconds. The five-member Indian team had three compound and two recurve archers. Only one medal has come in India's bag. 

The Archery World Cup features the world's top eight archers, who qualify either by winning one of the three World Cup stages or based on their world ranking. 

Next Article

"Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal": Mary Kom hints to make a comeback in Pro-Boxing

Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).

Sep 30, 2024, 12:30 PM2 min read

"Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal": Mary Kom hints to make a comeback in Pro-Boxing

Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom expressed disappointment over the poor performance of Indian boxers in the Paris Olympics 2024. She said that being a medal winner, it is natural that she feels bad.

Also Read: Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

India had sent a team of six boxers to the Paris 2024, which included two men and four women. It also included Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and world champion Nikhat Zareen.

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing, stating, "I am planning to make a comeback.I will try to make a comeback in pro-boxing." In the same event, she shared her happiness in participating in sports-promoting events but remained concerned about India's performance at the Olympics. 

'We will assess what needs to be done'

Mary Kom told IANS during the Army Sports Conclave, "Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal in the 2024 Olympics. We will assess what needs to be done moving forward and what shouldn’t be done,"

India's boxing campaign was disappointing 

Lovlina (women's 75kg) missed out on a historic second medal at the Paris Olympics and lost to China's Li Qian in the quarterfinals. At the same time, in the men's 71 kg category, Nishant Dev had reached the quarter-finals, but he had to face defeat from Marco Verde of Mexico.

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg), Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal (men's 51kg) and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) lost in the round of 16 in their respective categories. Jasmine Lamboria (women's 57 kg) was eliminated in the round of 32. Overall, India's Paris Olympics boxing campaign was disappointing.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

"As a world champion and medallist myself, its natural to feel disappointed. We'll focus on more practice and hard work for the upcoming tournaments," Mary Kom added.

Only three boxers achieved olympic medal

Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).

Next Article

Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

The "cricket versus sport" is an age-old fight between fans and athletes from different disciplines. But, does the sport cricket deserve all the hate?

Sep 25, 2024, 10:52 AM8 min read

Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?

If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.

1983 World Cup- sportzpoint.com
The image of Kapil lifting the World Cup trophy from the iconic Lord's balcony. Photo Collcted.

India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown. 

Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?

"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League

India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.

World Cup celebration- sportzpoint.com
The Indian team received a grand welcome at the  Mumbai's Marine Drive that was followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium. AP

Felicitations came from their respective state governments. BCCI provided a huge lump of prize money to the players and the support staff.

But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?

This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.

Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.

Palitha Bandara recorded a distance of 44.20 meters and won the silver medal for Sri Lanka. Photo collected- sportzpoint.com
Palitha Bandara recorded a distance of 44.20 meters and won the silver medal for Sri Lanka. Photo collected

The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.

The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes

At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.

The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.

Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).

Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem

Arshad nadeem
Arshad Nadeem Won the gold medal for Pakistan, at Paris Olympics. Photo coutesy: Olympics

The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.

Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.

Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.

PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

BCCI's baby steps for Olympians

Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.

Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.

Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.

The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:

  • 45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
  • Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
  • Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
  • State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.

Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration

When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.

Mahi's influence

Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.

The Kohli aggression

One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream. 

But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.

The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.

But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.

The Wall looks upon The Wall

PR Sreejesh- sportzpoint.com
P.R Sreejesh celebrated in his unique style after winning the bronze medal at paris. (Reuters Photo)

Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.

"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.

Read also: Hockey India decides to retire jersey No. 16 in honor of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

Cricket is another sport

The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?

How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior? 

How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?

How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?

It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?

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