Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat Narrowly Miss Bronze in Mixed Team Archery:India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the mixed team archery event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finishing fourth on Friday. Despite their strong performance, they fell 6-2 to the USA’s Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold in the bronze medal match, marking India’s best result in archery at the Summer Games.
The final began with tension as India lost the first set 38-37. Despite a series of three consecutive 10s from the Indian duo, a seven from Ankita Bhakat on the opening arrow allowed the US to take a 2-0 lead. Another seven from Bhakat in the second set further widened the gap, putting the US ahead 4-0.
India’s hopes for a comeback were rekindled when Casey Kaufhold shot a seven in the third set, allowing Bommadevara to close the gap to 4-2. However, Bhakat’s two eights in the final set proved costly, and the American pair secured the bronze.
Earlier, India lost to South Korea’s Woojin Kim and Sihyeon Lim 6-2 in the semi-finals. Despite a strong start with a 38-36 win in the first set, South Korea turned the tide with consistent performances in subsequent sets, eventually clinching their spot in the gold medal match.
In their journey to the semi-finals, Bommadevara and Bhakat defeated Spain’s Pablo Gonzalez and Elia Canales 5-3 in the quarter-finals, showcasing their potential with six 10s over four sets. They began the day with a dominant 5-1 victory over Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa and Arif Pangestu in the round of 16.
