On the second day of India’s campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024, all eyes will be on pistol shooter Manu Bhaker as she competes for a gold medal. Bhaker made history on Saturday, becoming the first Indian female shooter in 20 years to reach an Olympic final in an individual event. She scored 580 points in the qualifications, finishing third, while Hungarian shooter Veronika Major topped the leaderboard with 582 points. Rhythm Sangwan, the other Indian competitor, ended in 15th place with a score of 573.
This moment is particularly significant for the 22-year-old Bhaker, who experienced a disappointing campaign at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. For India, which had a slow start in Paris with setbacks in the 10m air rifle mixed teams and men’s 10m air pistol qualifiers, Bhaker’s performance offers a chance for redemption.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who was India’s flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony, will begin her campaign in the women’s singles, followed by HS Prannoy in the men’s singles. Later in the day, Indian archers Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari will compete in the women’s team event, aiming for a semifinal spot.
In table tennis, Indian players Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, and Sreeja Akula will start their singles campaigns.
Women’s Singles (Group stage): PV Sindhu vs FN Abdul Razzaq (Maldives) — 12.50 pm
Men’s Singles (Group stage): Prannoy HS vs Fabian Roth (Germany) — 8.00 pm
Shooting
Women’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Elavenil Valarivan — 12.45 pm
Men’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta — 2.45 pm
Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final: Manu Bhaker — 3.30 pm
Men’s Single Sculls (Repechage 2): Balraj Panwar — 1.18 pm
Women’s Singles (Round 2): Sreeja Akula vs Christina Källberg (Sweden) — 12.15 pm onwards
Women’s Singles (Round 2): Manika Batra vs Anna Hursey (Great Britain) — 12.15 pm onwards
Men’s Singles (Round 2): Sharath Kamal vs Deni Kozul (Slovenia) — 3.00 pm onwards
Men’s 100m Backstroke (Heat 2): Srihari Nataraj — 3.16 pm
Women’s 200m Freestyle (Heat 1): Dhinidhi Desinghu — 3.30 pm
Men’s Doubles (Round 1): Rohan Bopanna/N Sriram Balaji vs Gael Monfils/Edouard Roger-Vasselin — 3.30 pm
Men’s Singles (Round 1): Sumit Nagal vs Corentin Moutet (France) — 3.30 pm
Women’s Team (Quarter-finals): India (Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, and Deepika Kumari) vs France/Netherlands — 5.45 pm
Women’s Team (Semi-finals, if qualified): 7.17 pm onwards
Women’s Team (Medal rounds, if qualified): 8.18 pm onwards
India will be hoping for strong performances across these events, with the potential for medals in several disciplines.
