Tokyo Olympics Day 11 Preview: Kamalpreet in discus final, Indian women's hockey team face Australia in quarters

The country is in contention to secure a medal in athletics on Monday.

Tokyo Olympics Day 11 will once again witness several high-profile Indian athletes in action. On Monday, a few of the Indian medal hopefuls will be seen at Tokyo 2020. The Indian shooting contingent has been the biggest disappointment so far, however, a couple of them will try to put up good showings in the 50m rifle 3 positions men's qualifiers event.

Apart from the shooters, medal hopeful Kamalpreet Kaur will also be seen in action in the finals of the discus throw event. On the other hand, the Indian women’s hockey team will play a historic quarter-final match against Australia.

Athletics: Women’s 200m heats

Ace Indian sprinter Dutee Chand will be seen in action in the women's 200m sprint. Dutee was nowhere near her best as she clocked 11.54 secs. in the 100m heats, which is well outside her national record of 11.17 seconds. She had finished in the seventh spot in heat 5 and overall 45th out of 54 competitors.

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A better showing is expected from Dutee Chand in the 200m heats. The event will begin at 7:24 AM IST.

Shooting: 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s Qualification

Two more Indian shooters will have the final opportunity to rescue the Indian shooting contingent’s disastrous campaign on day 11 of the Tokyo Olympics. Sanjeev Rajput and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar will represent the nation in this event in Tokyo.

The Indian duo is at different ends of their career. Aged 40, Rajput is one of the most experienced campaigners of the Indian shooting contingent. He has won several medals in his career, at events such as Commonwealth Games, ISSF World Cup, Commonwealth Shooting Championships and the Asian Games. This will be his third Olympics campaign.

On the other hand, Tomar is only 20-years-old. The youngster is part of the next generation of talented shooters to emerge from the country. Earlier in 2021, he had won the gold medal at the ISSF World Cup held in New Delhi. Tomar is currently the World No. 2, whereas Rajput is ranked 6th in the world.

The qualification rounds will begin at 8:00 AM IST.

ALSO READ: Who are India’s realistic hopes for a Tokyo Olympics medal after Day 9?

Women’s Hockey Quarter-final: India Vs Australia

India beat South Africa 4-3 in a thrilling encounter in their final Pool A clash. Vandana Katariya created history by becoming the first-ever Indian woman to score a hat-trick at the Olympic Games. It was followed by Great Britain defeating Ireland 2-0 to confirm India's place in the knockout rounds.

Hence, the Women in Blue have reached the knockout rounds for the first time ever. They will aim to replicate the heroics of the 1980 Moscow Olympics team when India had finished fourth. However, Sjoerd Marijne’s team will first have to overcome the challenge of World No. 4 Australia in the quarter-finals.

The quarter-final clash will begin at 8:30 AM IST.

Equestrian - Eventing Individual Qualifier

Indian jockey Fouaad Mirza will be competing at this event. He is currently placed in the 22nd spot in the overall rankings. The top 25 participants will qualify for the final.

Mirza had qualified for Tokyo Olympics after securing the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) at an event in Baborowko, Poland. The 29-year-old has already done well in his debut Olympics campaign. Can he go on and secure a spot in the final?

The event will begin at 1:30 PM IST.

Athletics: Women’s Discus Throw Final

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Kamalpreet Kaur built on her earlier national record mark by hurling the iron disc to a distance of 66.59m at the Indian Athletics Grand Prix 4. At the Federation Cup, Kaur became the country’s first female discus thrower to breach the 65m mark, booking a spot at the Tokyo Olympics.

In achieving a 66.59m distance at the Indian Athletics Grand Prix 4, Kaur registered the best-ever discus throw by an Indian athlete. The 25-year-old went past the men’s national record which stands at 66.28m. It was set by Vikas Gowda at the Old Style Discus Challenge held in Norman, United States in 2012. Therefore, Kamalpreet Kaur now looks like a genuine medal contender at the Olympic Games.

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News |ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] The 25-year-old has replicated her good form this season on the grandest stage. She hurled the discus to a distance of 64.00m in the qualification stage to finish second across both groups. Kaur finished only behind American Valarie Allman. In doing so, she gained entry into the discus throw finals. All eyes will now be on her as she aims to secure India’s first-ever Olympics medal in athletics.

The eagerly awaited finals of the women's discus throw will begin at 4:30 PM IST.

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