Olympics 2024: Indian women's recurve archery team fail to reach semis

The Indian women's recurve archery team consisting of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Bhajan Kaur lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics, on Sunday.

The Indian trio lost the match 0-6 to the Dutch troika of Roeffen Quinty, Schloesser Gaby and van der Winkel Laura and missed a chance to reach the semifinals.

India had a shaky start with Ankita and Deepika hitting 7s on their first arrows. Bhajan Kaur’s 10 gave hope, but three nines in the second round weren't enough. The Netherlands showed consistency, hitting 9s in all but two arrows, edging out India by one point.

India started strong with a perfect X from Ankita and a 10 from Bhajan. However, Deepika’s 8 and subsequent 6s from Ankita and Deepika were costly. The Netherlands, despite not breaching the inner circle initially, finished strong, doubling their lead.

Ankita began with a wavered 4, followed by a 10 and 8 from Bhajan and Deepika. Two eights and a 10 followed, but it wasn't enough against the focused Dutch team, who sealed their victory with three near-perfect arrows.

The Netherlands' consistency and focus throughout the match led to a decisive win over India, ending the Indian team's campaign in the quarterfinals.