Unlike other individual sports or events, the Olympics is a huge event that gives legendary young athletes a great platform internationally. However, missing the Olympic medal by a very close margin is always the most disheartening than big losses in the games.
India has not been an exceptional nation, as they have had equal records and many greats like PT Usha and Milkha Singh have missed very close Olympic medals, which remains heartbreaking for them.
Even the Summer Olympics of Paris are also not different, as India secured a record 7 medals in the Tokyo Olympics and desired a double-figure medal tally this time around; however, many near losses and athletes ending fourth have put a serious threat over even meeting the previous medal tally of the Tokyo Olympics.
India Lose 5-medals by a whisker at the Paris Olympics
Arjun Babuta missed the bronze in the men’s 10M Air Rifle
Babuta scored a decent 630.1 points to make it into the finals of 10m Air Rifle. However, his campaign ended in heartbreak, though the Indian shooter remained mostly in the top 3 for the finals until the 18th shot where he scored a 10.1. His last 20th shot, where he could manage only a 9.5, was his worst shot under pressure after his only under-10 shot in the 13th shot, which measured 9.9. He missed his bronze medal with a no. 4 place.
Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, Mixed Team Skeet
Skeet is not much for the Indians; it is one of the most royal games played over many decades in India. The pair qualified for the bronze medal match against the Chinese pair, where they qualified after being placed fourth in the qualification round.
The Indian duo hit a shot 43, which was just a single point short of the Chinese team’s 44 in a thrilling match; this was India’s nearest loss among bronze medal matches.
Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat—Archery Mixed Team
After securing wins over Indonesia in the Round of 16 and Spain in the Quarterfinals, they faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the United States team. It was a nail-biting contest as the USA clinched the bronze medal match with a final scoreline of 6-2, and hence India had to leave without a medal.
Lakshya Sen, Men’s Singles Badminton
Lakshya Sen, after emerging as the first Indian player to have entered the semifinals of a badminton match, had a terrific run in the Olympics before two repetitive setbacks.
Sen topped his group and went with a winning record until the semi-finals; not the best yet, a competitive semi against Axelsen saw him enter the bronze medal match, where he lost the match to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia after Sen was defeated in the next two sets after a win in the first one.
Manu Bhaker, 25M Air Pistol
India’s greatest Olympic sportswomen have emerged as the best-ever players in the history of the nation. He is the first player to have secured two Olympic medals in the same edition of the games.
After securing a bronze medal win in the 10m Air Pistol Women’s singles and another in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed team, she was eyeing a treble until Bhaker lost the 25m Air Pistol event as he finished in the fourth position, as Veronika had a shot more than Bhaker in the shoot-off, hence ending his third bronze medal match.
