Indian team look on after their quarterfinal match against Turkiye in the men’s archery team event at Paris Olympics on July 29. 2024.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
After the women, Indian men archers also did not perform up to their potential. India was beaten by Turkiye in the quarterfinals of the team event of the Olympics at the Invalides arena in Paris on July 29.
Considered the country’s best bet for a medal, the third-ranked Indian side, which received a bye, did not look confident and lost to the sixth-placed Turkiye 6-2 (57-53, 55-52, 54-55, 58-34).
The biggest setback for the Indian side, comprising Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and B. Dhiraj, was that its most prolific archer, World No. 12 Dhiraj, performed below par on his Olympics debut. He began and ended with 7s and contributed three of the seven shots which were outside the yellow zone, fetching less than 9.
Jadhav, the best Indian on the day, had one below-9 score.
The Indians did well to make a comeback after losing two sets by claiming the third, but could not sustain the momentum.
Turkiye, comprising World and Olympic champion Mete Gazoz, Berkim Tumer and Abdullah Yildirmis, shot consistently and had just one shot, an 8, outside the yellow zone.
Without the guidance of Korean coach Baek Woong Ki, the Indian archers will now compete in mixed team and individual events.
