After a stunning run, world number one Rakesh Kumar's hopes of clinching a medal in the Paralympics were ended when he lost the bronze play-off to defending champion He Zihao of China. Despite a slim lead with six arrows to go, Rakesh dropped two points in the penultimate end, allowing Zihao to secure victory with a streak of 10s. With this, India's Harvinder Singh remains the sole Paralympic archery medalist for the country, while Rakesh's rival Ai Xinliang also proved too strong for him in the semifinals.
India's Archery Journey in the Paralympics: Hopes Dashed for Rakesh Kumar
India's Paralympic archer Rakesh Kumar had a disappointing end to his journey at the Tokyo Paralympics, losing the bronze medal play-off to defending champion He Zihao of China. Despite a promising start, Kumar's hopes were dashed in the penultimate end, where he dropped two crucial points, allowing Zihao to secure victory. This marks the end of India's medal hopes in archery at this year's Games, with Harvinder Singh remaining the country's sole Paralympic archery medalist.
Background
India has a rich history in archery, with several archers having represented the country at the Paralympic Games. The most notable among them is Harvinder Singh, who won the gold medal in the individual recurve event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, becoming the first Indian archer to win a Paralympic gold.
Rakesh Kumar, who is ranked number one in the world, was considered a strong contender for a medal in Tokyo. He had performed exceptionally well in the lead-up to the Games, winning the gold medal at the 2019 World Para Archery Championships.
Current Event
Rakesh Kumar began his campaign in Tokyo with a promising performance, topping the qualification round in the men's individual recurve event. He then defeated Chinese Taipei's FENG Hao-wei in the first round, before losing to his Chinese rival Ai Xinliang in the semifinals.
In the bronze medal play-off, Kumar started strong, leading by one point with six arrows to go. However, he dropped two points in the penultimate end, which proved costly as Zihao scored a streak of 10s to secure the victory.
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