Paris Olympics 2024: Dhiraj-Ankita beat Spanish duo to enter historic mixed team archery semifinals

The Indian mixed archery team, featuring Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara, delivered a historic performance by reaching the semifinals at the Paris Olympics 2024 for the first time, defeating Spain 5-3 on Friday.

India won with scores of 38-37, 38-38, 36-37, and 37-36. With one more victory, they could end a 36-year wait for an Olympic archery medal.

Ankita, a 26-year-old from Kolkata, and the young Dhiraj took the lead by winning the first set 38-37, thanks to two 10s and two 9s. The Spanish duo, Elia Canales and Pablo Acha Gonzalez, leveled the second set with a score of 38-all, splitting the points.

India’s 3-1 advantage was canceled out in the third set due to a subpar score of 36, which included a poor shot resulting in an '8'.

In the fourth and final set, the Indian team displayed remarkable composure, clinching a 37-36 victory to secure their spot in the semifinals with a 5-3 win. This marks their best-ever performance at the Olympic Games.

Earlier, the Indian recurve mixed team also excelled, overcoming Indonesia to advance to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics. They secured a 5-1 victory with set scores of 37-36, 38-38, and 38-37 against Indonesian opponents Diananda Choirunisa and Arif Pangestu.

Dhiraj and Ankita consistently delivered high scores with 9s and 10s. Notably, Ankita enhanced her performance by shooting 10s in her final three attempts, propelling the duo into the quarterfinals, which are scheduled to take place later in the day.

• Ankita Bhakat
• Arif Pangestu
• Dhiraj Bommadevara
• Diananda Choirunisa
• Elia Canales
• Indian archery
• Indonesia
• Olympic archery
• Pablo Acha Gonzales
• Paris Olympics
• Paris Olympics 2024
• Spain
• accuracy
• historic achievement
• historic finish
• medal
• mixed team archery
• quarterfinals
• semifinal