Five medal contenders from India who disappointed at Paris Olympics 2024

Published at :August 10, 2024 at 9:30 PM

Modified at :August 10, 2024 at 9:30 PM

Even after ruling out the unfortunate fourth-placed exits, many star athletes disappointed in Paris.

The Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics 2024, comprising 117 athletes across 16 sports, was anticipated to be the nation’s best-prepared team. Expectations were high, with fans eager to witness India’s best performance in Olympic history. However, aside from a few standout performances, the overall showing was disappointing.

Several top athletes, expected to secure medals, fell short. The performances in sports such as badminton, archery and boxing, among others, did not meet expectations, leading to significant disappointment among fans.

Here are five Indian athletes who were strong medal contenders but under-performed at the Paris Olympics 2024:

5. Sift Kaur Samra

Sift Kaur Samra, the reigning world record-holder and Asian champion in the 50m rifle 3 position event, was one of India’s brightest medal hopefuls at just 22-years-old.

However, the pressure of making her Olympic debut appeared to overwhelm her. Sift struggled during the qualifying round and finished 31st out of 32 shooters, leading to her elimination.

4. Deepika Kumari

A dominant figure in Indian archery for over a decade, Deepika Kumari has won medals at nearly every international and continental event, except the Olympics. Paris 2024 marked her fourth Olympic appearance, with high hopes for a podium finish.

However, Deepika was unable to improve on her performance from Tokyo 2020, exiting in the quarter-finals after a closely contested 6-4 loss to South Korea’s Nam Su-Hyeon. Her performance in the women’s team event was also below-par, contributing to India’s quarter-final exit with a 6-0 loss to the Netherlands.

3. PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, had been battling injuries and inconsistent form leading up to the Games. Despite these challenges, fans remained hopeful that Paris 2024 could be the crowning achievement of her illustrious career.

Unfortunately, Sindhu’s dreams of becoming India’s first three-time Olympic medalist were dashed when she lost to China’s He Bing Jiao in straight games (19-21, 14-21) in the Round of 16. This defeat marked Sindhu’s first loss to a Chinese player at the Olympics and the first time she ended an Olympic campaign without a medal.

2. Nikhat Zareen

Nikhat Zareen, a two-time world champion and one of India’s top medal prospects, was expected to make a deep run in the competition. However, she was eliminated in the Round of 16 after a 0-5 defeat to Wu Yu of China, the reigning Asian Games gold medalist.

Although Nikhat faced a tough draw due to being unseeded, the fans had hoped for a stronger performance from her.

1. Amit Panghal

Former World No. 1 Amit Phangal entered his second Olympic Games as a strong medal prospect in the men’s 51kg boxing category, especially given his late surge of form in the qualifiers.

After receiving a bye in the opening round, Amit was defeated in the Round of 16 by a split decision (4-1) against Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba. This loss mirrored his disappointing campaign at the Tokyo Olympics, where he also exited at the Round of 16 after a first round bye.

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