New Delhi: India’s mixed doubles archery pair of Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara fell short of a bronze medal, losing to a strong USA team of Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison 6-2 in Paris on Friday. Despite the loss, India made a slice of history as the first-ever Indian archers to reach the medal round at the Olympics.

The mixed-team event in archery was introduced only in the Tokyo Olympics three years back and India entered the semi-final in Paris after beating Indonesia 5-1 before trumping Spain 5-3. India then lost their last-four encounter to South Korea 6-2 and enter the bronze playoff against the USA, who surprisingly lost to Germany in the other semis.

Ranked ninth in the world, India had an uphill task against the third-ranked USA side. They managed to take a set off, but a disappointing outing by Ankita Bhakat meant India were left to play catch-up for the entirety of the match. Bhakat hit a 7 each in the first two sets, and despite Dhiraj doing his bit, a clinical USA always did enough to keep the lead in windy conditions.

The bright spot for India was taking the must-win third set where both Indian archers shot a 10 and a 9 each and USA had a round of 8s. Needing to win Set 4 to draw level, Bhakat started with an 8 that all but sealed India’s fate.

The all-conquering South Koreans expectedly took the gold medal, blanking Germany 6-0 in the final. The team of Lin Si-hyeon and Kim Woo-jin didn’t drop a set against Michelle Kroppen and Florian Unruh in the tough conditions that saw the Germans managing only two 10s in their 12 attempts. The Koreans hit the bullseye five times, thrice in the first set alone to set the tone.

A quick look at how India’s bronze medal match panned out:

Set 1

Ellison and Kaufhold started with a 10 and 9 but Bhakat had a disappointing 7 first up. Dhiraj shot a 10 and Ellison’s 9 and Kaufhold’s 10 meant USA took an unassailable lead in the first set. The Indians shot a 10 each but the USA took the set 38-37 to take the first two points on offer.

Set 2

Bhakat got the set underway with a disappointing 7 and Dhiraj shot a 10. Ellison hit a 10 and an 8 from Kaufold meant USA led by a solitary point. The Indians shot 9 each and the USA shot 10 and 9 to take the second set 37-35. US led 4-0.

Set 3

Staring at a must-win set, Bhakat started with a 10. Dhiraj got a 9. Ellison started with a clinical 10 and Kaufhold hit a 7 to give India the advantage. Bhakat hit a 9 again and Dhiraj shot a 10. USA hit a brace of 8s as India took the set. USA were still in the lead though with a 4-2 scoreline.

Set 4

Another must-win set for India, they needed both their archers to have a perfect sequence. Bhakat went first and hit an 8 as the wind picked up. Dhiraj hit a 9. Ellison got 10 and Kaufhold backed him with a 9 to give US a two-point advantage. Bhakat’s disappointing 8 and Dhiraj’s 10 left very little to do for the USA. USA shoot two 9s to take the set 37-35 for a 6-2 win and the bronze medal.

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