Olympics, Day 11 Wrap: Vinesh Confirms Medal, Hockey Team To Fight For Bronze

Paris Olympics 2024, Day 11 Wrap

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India celebrated a historic milestone at the Paris Olympics 2024, highlighted by wrestler Vinesh Phogat becoming the nation's first female wrestler to reach an Olympic final. Meanwhile, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra dazzled with the top qualifying throw, securing his spot in the finals.

However, it was a day of mixed emotions as the hockey team faced heartbreak, falling to Germany in the semifinals.

Here’s a recap of Day 11, showcasing all the key moments for Indian athletes at the Summer Games:

Wrestling

Vinesh Phogat has etched her name in history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of the 50 kg freestyle event at the Paris Olympics. She secured her place with an impressive 5-0 victory over Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman in the semifinal, ensuring India’s fourth medal of the Games.

Vinesh will now vie for gold against USA's Sarah Hildebrandt at the Champ-de-Mars Arena Mat B on Wednesday. Earlier, she made waves by defeating Japan’s previously undefeated Yui Susaki in a stunning upset.

In the semifinal, Vinesh initially played a defensive game, skillfully neutralizing Guzman's attacks. She took the lead with a single technical point in the first round. Then, with strategic precision, Vinesh unleashed a series of attacks, scoring four technical points with two consecutive takedowns to establish a 5-0 lead.

Once she secured the lead, Vinesh solidified her defense, maintaining her advantage and clinching a historic victory.

Hockey

In a tough semifinal loss, the Indian men’s hockey team fell 3-2 to Germany. They’ll now vie for the bronze medal against Spain on 8 August.

Athletics

Defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made a powerful statement in the men’s javelin throw qualification, reaching the final with a commanding throw of 89.34 meters on his first attempt in Group B.

Neeraj began his title defense in impressive fashion, surpassing the automatic qualification mark of 84 meters by a substantial margin with his opening throw. This mark not only secured his place in the final but also stood as his best throw of the season and the highest among all athletes who achieved automatic qualification across both groups.

In contrast, India’s Kishore Kumar Jena fell short of making the final. Despite a strong start with a throw of 80.73 meters, his second attempt was a foul, and he followed with a throw of 80.21 meters in his third attempt, which wasn’t enough to advance.

In the women’s 400m repechage round, quarter-miler Kiran Pahal finished sixth in Heat 1 with a time of 52.59 seconds, narrowly missing out on a spot in the semi-finals. This was slightly slower than her 52.51 seconds from the first round.

On a brighter note, distance runner Avinash Sable made history by becoming the first Indian to advance to the final of the 3000m Steeplechase. He secured his place with a strong performance in Heat 2 of the first round, finishing fifth with a time of 8:15.43.

Table Tennis

The Indian men’s table tennis team, consisting of Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar, was eliminated from the Paris 2024 Olympics after a tough Round of 16 defeat to the top-seeded Chinese team on Tuesday. In their best-of-five encounters match, the 14th-seeded Indian trio fell 0-3 to the reigning champions from China.

The first match featured a men’s doubles clash where world No. 1 Wang Chuqin and five-time Olympic gold medalist Ma Long overpowered Harmeet and Manav with a decisive 3-0 victory (11-2, 11-3, 11-7).

In the second match, India’s top-ranked singles player and Commonwealth Games champion Sharath Kamal, ranked No. 41 in the world, won the opening game against world No. 2 Fan Zhendong. However, Kamal ultimately lost the match 1-3 (11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 5-11).

Manav Thakkar, ranked No. 59, faced Wang Chuqin in what could have been a turning point for India. Despite a commendable effort, Thakkar succumbed to Wang’s superior skills, losing 0-3 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9).

Earlier, Harmeet and Sharath were eliminated in the men’s singles first round, leaving Manav as the sole competitor in the team event.