Tokyo: Sunday was a day of disappointment for the Indian contingent here at the Olympics after the high of Mirabai Chanu which happened Saturday. In most events it was a case of defeats, some very shocking to say the least.
Stunning exit: Sania Mirza and debutant Ankita Raina were knocked out of the Tokyo Olympics women’s doubles by Ukrainian twin sisters Nadiia and Liudmyla Kichenok. The Indian duo lost 6-0, 6-7 (0-7), 8-10. After winning the first set easily, Sania was serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set. But they failed to close out the set and lost it in the tie-breaker to allow the Ukranian pair to level the score. Then in the super tie-break, the Indian duo failed to make amends and was sent packing.
Rowers in semis: Indian rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh qualified for the semifinals of the men’s lightweight double sculls repechage. The Indian duo clocked 6:51.36 to finish in third place at the Sea Forest Waterway. The semifinals will take place July 27.
Manika shines: Table tennis player Manika Batra pulled off a stunning upset to enter the third round of the women’s singles beating World No. 32 Margaryta Pesotska. The Indian World No. 62 made a remarkable comeback against her Ukrainian opponent after losing the first two games to prevail 4-11, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7. However, G Sathiyan suffered an upset 3-4 defeat at the hands of lower-ranked Siu Hang Lam to make an early exit from the men’s singles competition. Sathiyan was up 3-1 at one stage, but failed to capitalise on the advantage.
Poor show: India’s lone gymnast at the Tokyo Olympics, Pranati Nayak failed to qualify for the all round finals of Artistic Gymnastics competition. The 26-year-old from West Bengal recorded a total score of 42.565 over the four categories – floor exercise, vault, uneven bars and balance beam – at the Ariake Gymnastic centre. She finished overall in 29th. Only the top 24 qualify for the final stage. Nayak finished at the bottom half in all the events.
No splash at all: Indian swimmer Maana Patel could not qualify for the semifinals of the women’s 100m backstroke event as she finished second in her heat at the Tokyo Games. Competing in her first Olympics, Maana finished with a time of 1.05.20 seconds behind Zimbabwe’s Donata Katai, who clocked 1:02.73. Overall the 21-year-old Indian finished 39th overall.
