Highlights from day 11:
Vinesh Phogat demonstrated the power of grit and concentration, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to enter the Olympic finals. In the meantime, Neeraj Chopra maintained his composure and secured the top spot in the javelin qualifiers. It was an amazing Tuesday for India!
Harmanpreet Singh’s hockey squad, unfortunately, fell short of the finals after a narrow 2-3 defeat to Germany in the semifinals. Next up, they will compete for the bronze against Spain.
Phogat Gets Her Redemption
The standout of the day was undoubtedly Vinesh. After a year of spearheading protests against alleged sexual harassment by the national federation's former President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, she dominated her way into the 50kg finals, beating Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semifinals.
Whatever the medal's color, India is guaranteed its fourth medal at the Games, adding to the three bronzes already earned in shooting.
12.05 am: India lose 2-3 against Germany in men's hockey semi-finals, to face Spain for Bronze medal.
The Indian men's hockey team will now vie for the Bronze after a nail-biting semi-final loss to Germany.
India gave it their all and came close to leveling the score in the final moments but couldn't quite pull it off. Despite their best efforts, the match ended in Germany's favor.
Next up, India will face Spain in the Bronze medal match on August 8th at 5:30 pm IST. This is a crucial opportunity for the team to secure a podium finish and bring home a medal.
All eyes will be on this exciting match as the team prepares to give it their best shot and make their country proud. Mark your calendars and get ready to cheer for India!
11 pm: What a rollercoaster! Harmanpreet Singh gave India an early lead with a cracking penalty corner, but Germany quickly equalized thanks to Gonzalo Peillat. By the end of the first quarter, it was 1-1.
In the second quarter, Germany pulled ahead with a penalty stroke from Christopher Ruehr. India had a chance with Lalit, but he missed the post. So, it was 2-1 Germany at halftime.
But wait, it’s not over! Sukhjeet Singh brought us back into the game with an awesome goal, deflecting Harman's flick to make it 2-2. With the score tied, the final 15 minutes are going to be intense.
India 2, Germany 2 - game on!
10.42 pm: Vinesh Phogat Has Done It! The star wrestler storms into the final of women's freestyle 50kg final to assure India of its 4th medal, atleast a Silver at the Games. Phogat easily defeated Yusneylis Lopez to become the first female Indian wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics.
6 pm: India's next two big events will take place post 10 pm with Vinesh Phogat facing Yusneylys Guzmán Lopez of Cuba in the women's 50kg freestyle wrestling semifinals. The wrestling bout will take place post 10.15 pm IST. India's men's hockey team will then take on Germany in the semis from 10.30 pm IST.
4.21 pm: Vinesh Phogat is on fire, she defeats Ukraine's Oksana Livach in the women's 50kg freestyle wrestling quarterfinals to storm into the semifinals. Another win and she will be assured a medal for India.
Phogat was brilliant once again against Livach, taking an early lead in the bout. Livach applied pressure on the Indian superstar in the last minute but Phogat showed her class to come out on top.
3.45 pm: Fellow javelin star Kishore Kumar Jena fails to qualify for the men's final after dropping out of top 12 in Group A. Jena's best attempt came in his first throw of 80.73m.
3.20 pm: Neeraj Chopra makes a massive statement as he throws the javelin 89.34m in his first attempt to qualify for the men's final. His biggest rival Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan throws 86.59m in his first attempt. This was Chopra's season best throw, bettering his previous best of 88.6m.
3.07 pm: Vinesh Phogat has pulled off a miracle! The wrestler stuns reigning champion and world No. 1 Yui Susaki of Japan 3-2 in the last 5 seconds of the second round to advance in the women's wrestling 50kg quarterfinals.
3 pm: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat's 50kg opening bout is underway against reigning Olympic Champion & 4-time World Champion Yui Susaki of Japan. Phogat trailing 0-1 after the first round.
2:41 pm: Kishore Kumar Jena records his best throw of 80.73 in 3 attempts. He is currently in 9th spot and will have to wait for his qualification until Group B is completed.
2:34 pm: Fan Zhendong beats Sharath Kamal in the men's table Tennis singles' game.
2:09 pm: Sharath Kamal and Fan Zhendong face off in men's table tennis round of 16 game.
1:59 pm: Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar lose to the Chinese duo of MA Long and Wang Chuqin in Round of 16 table Tennis match.
1:50 pm: Track and field athlete Kishore Kumar Jena begins his campaign. He registers a throw of 80.73 meters in his first attempt.
1:30pm: Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar face Chinese duo in the Round of 16 match of men's Table Tennis doubles.
Preview:
Day 11 of the Paris 2024 Olympics promises to be another productive day for the Indian athletes as they look to increase their medal count from 3 and improve their standings in the tally against the other countries. Neeraj Chopra has the opportunity to breath life for India in the present edition as he will compete in the qualification round of the Javelin throw.
The 26-year-old has already claimed gold in the previous Olympics edition and will inevitably face a stiff challenge from the opponents. However, the youngster looks in good shape and remains India's biggest hope to get the coveted gold this year.
Meanwhile, the Men's hockey team will be up against World No.2 Germany in the semi-final on Tuesday, aiming to reach the final. The Men in Blue have displayed magnificent resilience in the last two matches against Australia and Great Britain to emerge victorious. The victory against The Great Britain was especially impressive, given they were 1 man down in the 2nd quarter. However, they will have to deal with the absence of Amit Rohidas, who copped a one-match ban due to an unintentional foul.
The day will start with men's Table Tennis round, while women's wrestling event is also on the horizon.
