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Olympics 2024 | Deepika loses in individual archery quarterfinals; India's archery campaign over at Paris GamesUp against South Korea’s Nam Sunyeon in the quarterfinals, it looked like the 30-year-old, who has enjoyed phenomenal success at other tournaments, would finally crack the Olympic puzzle. However, she caved in under pressure.
Sidney Kiran
Last Updated IST
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Deepika Kumari.&nbsp;</p></div>

Deepika Kumari. 

Credit: Reuters Photo

Paris: Deepika Kumari once again caved in to the pressure of the Olympic Games as the veteran archer fumbled from a position of great strength to crash out in the quarterfinals of the women’s individual event at the Invalides arena here on Saturday.

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Up against South Korea’s Nam Sunyeon in the quarterfinals, it looked like the 30-year-old, who has enjoyed phenomenal success at the World Cups, World Championships and Asian Championships but has found the Olympic puzzle impossible to crack, would finally decipher it when she took a 4-2 lead to put herself on the doorstep of a semifinal appearance. But history repeated itself as one bad shot cost Deepika a semifinal appearance.

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Deepika started and opened the decisive fourth set with perfect 10s but a shocking 7 in the second shot saw her lose it 27-29 to Sunyeon. With scores level 4-4, the fifth set was pretty much a shoot-off. Deepika, conjuring all her experience, shot three 9s. The 19-year-old Sunyeon was in a different league as she fired two 10s and 9 to secure her passage into the semifinals.

Sunyeon would later go on to take the silver medal, losing 3-7 to compatriot Lim Sihyeon in the gold medal bout.

There was more disappointing in Invalides as Bhajan Kaur lost a hard-fought 1/8 elimination contest 5-6 to Indonesia’s Diananda Choirnisa right after Deepika had won her opening bout 6-4 to Michelle Kroppen.

“It is disappointing. I don't know how and why I keep losing at the Olympic Games. Maybe the atmosphere gets to me. It's the weight of own expectations. Those were bad two shots and I feel like I have gifted her the match,” distraught Deepika said after her defeat, struggling to come to terms in what could possibly be her last Olympics.

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(Published 03 August 2024, 19:01 IST)