Led by double medalists PV Sindhu (badminton) and Manu Bhaker (shooting), women athletes are keeping the Indian flag flying high at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

PARIS (TIP): Led by double medalists PV Sindhu (badminton) and Manu Bhaker (shooting), women athletes are keeping the Indian flag flying high at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
While Manu Bhaker has emulated the double medal feat of PV Sindhu, women athletes, including Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra (table tennis), Deepika Kumari and Bhajan Kaur (archery), have had an impressive start to their Olympic campaign here. Though this is not to belittle the contribution of male athletes, especially badminton star Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy or shooters – Arjun Babuta, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale – besides the men’s hockey team, in the first five days of competitions have gone well for women athletes of the Indian squad.
Before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, PV Sindhu was the lone female athlete from India with two Olympic medals – a silver in women’s singles in Rio and a bronze in London. Haryana‘s Manu Bhaker, however, has put her record to shade by winning two bronze medals here, scripting history by becoming the first-ever Indian athlete to win two Olympic medals in the same edition of the Games.

While PV Sindhu failed to win her third Olympic medal in the women’s singles Round of 16 at the Olympics as she lost against sixth-seeded Chinese shuttler He Bing Jiao in straight sets 19-21, 14-21, Manu Bhaker stays a step ahead as she is determined to accomplish the rarest feat of winning three medals in the same Olympics. Her favorite event, 25 m Air Pistol, is scheduled for Friday.
PV Sindhu was impressive in her initial group matches. She defeated Kristin Kauuba of Estonia 21-5, 21-10.
In Table Tennis, Sreeja Akula beat Jian Zeng 9-11,12-10,11-4, 11-5, 10-12 and 12-10 to create a flutter here. She has joined her senior colleague Manika Batra in the round of 16. Manika takes on Japanese opponent Mio Hirano for a place in the quarterfinals.
Kanak Jha, a player of Indian origin, representing the US for the third consecutive time, also moved up with a splendid win over P. Gionis of Greece at 11-5,11-4,11-7, 7-11, 8-11 and 11-8.
The toast of Indian fans was young Lakshya Sen who toppled third seed Jonatan Christie 21-18, 21-12 in the group matches. The win puts Lashya in the run for a medal for his unbeaten performance in the competition so far. He has already crossed a tough hurdle.
Indian double pair Rani Reddy and Chirag Shetty, too, have been doing well in the competition tormented by sicknesses and last-minute withdrawals. Matches already won by Indian pair, like a few others, have been taken off the competition record. German opponents had cried off before the game of the world number Indian pair earlier.
Arjun Babbuta narrowly missed a bronze medal. He needed only one good shot in one of his last two laps, but it was not to be. On Wednesday, Swapnil Kusale made the medal round in the 50 m Rifle 3 positions with a score of 590, three points behind the top qualifier Liu Yukun of China. All eyes are set for the final tomorrow.
In archery, Deepika Kumari and Bhajan Kaur made a winning start in individual events to raise hopes for a first-ever Olympic medal.