India’s archery, badminton, and boxing teams fell short at the Paris Olympics 2024, failing to secure medals. Despite high expectations and previous successes, the campaign ended with disappointment. Explore the highlights and challenges faced by India’s athletes.
The Paris Olympics 2024, held at the iconic Stade de France, concluded with a mix of highs and lows for India’s sporting contingent. After a historic performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where India achieved a record medal haul, expectations were high for an even more impressive showing in Paris. However, despite the anticipation, India’s campaign fell short in archery, badminton, and boxing, with these key sports failing to secure a podium finish.
Archery: A Historic Semi-Final Appearance, but No Medal
India’s archery team faced a challenging Olympic campaign, falling short of the medal podium despite reaching new milestones. The team’s performance was highlighted by their historic semi-final appearance in the mixed team event, marking their first-ever advancement to this stage. However, their closest attempt at a medal ended in a narrow defeat to the USA, resulting in a fourth-place finish.
Deepika Kumari, a prominent figure in Indian archery, struggled to make an impact, while fellow archers Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav also failed to shine. Despite notable performances from Dhiraj Bommadevara, Ankita Bhakat, and Bhajan Kaur, the archery team’s overall results were disappointing given the substantial investment and resources dedicated to the sport. The absence of the high-performance director and the South Korean coach during the games has been cited as a potential factor in the team’s underwhelming performance.
Badminton: A Medal Drought for the First Time Since 2008
India’s badminton players returned empty-handed from the Paris Olympics, marking the first time since 2008 that the country failed to secure a medal in the sport. Despite recent successes, including the Thomas Cup victory in 2022 and triumphs in the Badminton Asia Team Championships in 2023, these achievements did not translate to individual success in Paris.
Lakshya Sen came the closest to winning a medal but fell short in the bronze medal match. After impressive victories over top competitors, including Christie and Prannoy, Sen’s momentum waned as he lost to Axelsen and later to Zii Jia in the bronze medal bout. PV Sindhu, a previous Olympic and World Championship medalist, was unable to add to her medal collection. The duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, once gold medal contenders, were eliminated early by Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. The performance of HS Prannoy and the pairs Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also did not meet expectations, leaving India’s badminton hopes unfulfilled.
Boxing: No Medals Amidst Tough Draws and Controversies
India’s boxing team faced a challenging Olympic campaign, with no athletes managing to secure a place on the podium. Despite the difficult draws, which are typical at the Olympics, the expectations for medals were high, particularly for reigning world champions Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain. Both fighters, along with promising talent Nishant Dev, failed to deliver, resulting in a disappointing outcome for Indian boxing.
Complaints about judging surfaced, but such issues are often part and parcel of the sport. The selection policies and the decision to comply with the International Boxing Association (IBA) led to less favorable seeding in the draws, impacting the team’s performance. With boxing excluded from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the wait for redemption could be lengthy for India’s boxers.
India’s performance at the Paris Olympics 2024 highlighted both the potential and challenges faced by its athletes in archery, badminton, and boxing. Despite a historic first in archery and strong individual performances in badminton, the overall lack of medals in these key sports has been a letdown. As India reflects on this Olympic campaign, the focus will shift to addressing the issues faced and preparing for future international competitions.
