News Sports Other Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1 Highlights: Manu Bhaker, men's hockey team impress on opening day

Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1 Highlights: Manu Bhaker, men's hockey team impress on opening day

Elavenil Valarivan, Sandeep Singh, Ramita and Arjun Babuta will be in action in the 10m air rifle mixed team event on day one and will have a chance to open India's account. Meanwhile, the Indian men's hockey team will take on New Zealand in a Group B fixture to kick-start their campaign in Paris.

Arjun Singh Cheema in action. Image Source : PTIArjun Singh Cheema in action.

Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1: India beat New Zealand in hockey 3-2

All eyes will be on Elavenil Valarivan, Sandeep Singh, Ramita and Arjun Babuta as they will be in action in the 10m air rifle mixed team event on day one of the Paris Olympics. The event will feature the qualification round and it will be followed by the medal rounds.

In addition to that, the Indian men's hockey team, currently ranked No. seven in the world, will also be in action on Saturday. The men's team will compete against New Zealand in a Group B fixture.

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Live updates : Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1 Live Updates: Shooters aim at first medal, men's hockey team to face New Zealand

  • 1:16 AM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    India's events for Day 1 ends

    Manu Bhaker stole the limelight as she qualified for the women's 10m air pistol finals by finishing third in the qualification round on Saturday. She will feature in the finals (medal matches) on Sunday. 

    India men's hockey teams also pulled off a thrilling 3-2 win over New Zealand to begin their campaign on a positive note.

    Rain washed out Rohan Bopanna-Sriram Balaji's opening match in the men's doubles but India enjoyed a strong start to badminton with Lkashya Sen (men's singles) and Satwik-Chirag (men's doubles) recording easy wins their respective opening group-stage matches. 

     

  • 1:00 AM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Preeti Pawar enters pre quarter-finals

    Indian boxer Preeti Pawar kicks off the campaign with an easy 5-0 win over Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh in the women's 54kg opening round and reached the round of 16.

  • 12:50 AM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffer big defeat

    After a thrilling first set, South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong prove too strong for Crasto and Ponnappa in the second set and win the first group-stage match bu 21-18, 21-10.

  • 12:38 AM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto trail

    South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong take the first set by 21-18 and are dominating the second set as well. 

  • 11:54 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in action

    Indian badminton stars Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto face South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in the group-stage match of the women's doubles event.

  • 10:37 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    India win!

    India hold New Zealand and manage to win this 3-2. Harmanpreet's late penalty got them home

  • 10:33 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Penalty stroke for India!

    Penalty stroke for India and the Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh scores. India lead again 3-2. A big sigh of relief 

  • 10:23 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    New Zealand equalize!!

    A string of penalty corners for New Zealand and they have equalized India. It's 2-2. The game is back in a tie. Simon Child converts.

  • 10:12 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    India keep lead at end of 3rd quarter

    India keep their 2-1 at the end of the quartet. Sreejesh made some decent saves to help India stay ahead in this one. 

  • 9:57 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Vivek Sagar Prasad scores

    Vivek Sagar Prasad finds the back of the nets with a deflection shot from Sumit Walmiki. India lead for the first time in this game.

    The score is 2-1 for India in the 3rd quarter.

  • 9:43 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    It's 1-1 at half-time

    Mandeep Singh's goal brings India back into the game but New Zealand finishes the 2nd quarter with a couple of chances.

    The score is 1-1 after 2nd quarter. 

  • 9:34 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Mandeep Singh scores for India

    Dragflick from Harmanpreet Singh was blocked but Mandeep Singh found the net on a rebound. 

    India equals the score 1-1 just before the 2nd quarter. 

  • 9:23 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Yellow card for New Zealand captain

    Yellow card for the New Zealand skipper Nic Woods as they field 12 players at the start of the second quarter. 

  • 9:19 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    End of 1st quarter!

    That's the end of the first quarter in the India vs New Zealand game. New Zealand lead 1-0 with their penalty corner goal by Lane. India had another chance at the end of the quarter but could not find the back of the net. The second quarter is underway.

  • 9:10 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    New Zealand score first!

    New Zealand draw the first blood. A well-executed penalty corner, Sam Lane puts the ball on the right corner of Sreejesh, who can't reach there. IND 0-1 NZL

  • 9:07 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Here's India's Playing XI

  • 9:03 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Indian hockey team in action!

    The Indian hockey team is in action now. They faced New Zealand in their opener in the Tokyo Olympics too and won that game 3-2. But the Black sticks defeated India and ended their World Cup hopes last year. New Zealand are no pushovers

  • 8:55 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Satwik-Chirag make winning start!

    And the World No.3 pair of Satwik and Chirag have made a winning start to their Olympics 2024 campaign. They win the Group match 21-17, 21-14.

  • 8:42 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Satwik-Chirag lead by a slender margin

    The Indians are leading in the second game too. They go into the break 11-8 despite being at 10-6. 

  • 8:29 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Game for Satwik-Chirag

    And that's game for Satwik and Chirag. The French pair saved one game point at 20-16 but could not save the other. The Indian pair win this 21-17

  • 8:25 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Satwik-Chirag keep their lead!

    They are leading the French pair by 17-14. A slight dip in the lead but still pretty much on their way to take the opening game

  • 8:15 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Satwik-Chirag lead at break in 1st game

    The Indian pair of Satwik-Chirag are leading 11-6 in the first game. They were 2-2 but then pulled a two-point lead 5-3 before making it a five-point advantage 11-6 in the first game

  • 8:07 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Satwik-Chirag in action!

    The brothers of destruction Satwik and Chirag are at the court now. They face French pair of CORVEE Lucas and LABAR Ronan.

     

  • 8:01 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Harmeet wins too!

    Harmeet Desai wins his preliminary match against Zaid Abo. He clinches this one 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 to win in straight games. He is now in the main draw and will face France's third-seeded LEBRUN Felix in the round of 64. A tough one for the Indian

     

  • 7:56 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Lakshya Sen wins it!

    And Lakshya Sen makes a winning start to his Olympics campaign. He overcomes a four-game point deficit from 16-20 to clinch it 22-20. 

  • 7:47 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Sen trails in the second game!

    Looks like this will go into the third game. Kevin is leading 16-10 and has looked much better than the previous game

  • 7:30 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Too easy for Sen!

    He takes the first game without much of a fuss. Shows his pedigree and wins the opener 21-8. One more game in the bag and Lakshya will win this

  • 7:21 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Lakshya Sen off to a strong start

    Sen is off to a strong start in Game 1. He leads 11-2 into the break of this game. Sheer athleticism and pace on the mat by the Indian. A backhand drop to go with 11-2

  • 7:17 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Lakshya begins his campaign

    And here we go. Lakshya Sen makes his Olympic debut. He kicks off his campaign in Paris with a Group L game against Kevin Cordon

  • 7:13 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Harmeet Desai also in action!

    Table tennis player Harmeet Desai will also be in action in preliminary round against Jordan's ABO YAMAN ZAID

  • 7:02 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Lakshya Sen next in action!

    Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen is set to begin his campaign. He will face Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in a Group L match in men's singles. The Commonwealth Games champion will be looking for a strong start

  • 6:49 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek off to strong start

    Chasing his maiden Olympic medal, the tennis ace Novak Djokovic beats Australia's Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 in his first men's singles match.

    The world no.1 Iga Swiatek, the four-time Grand Slam champion on clay, also starts with a bang by beating Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu by 6-2, 7-5 in the women's singles first round match.

  • 6:30 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    No tennis doubles before 8:30 pm

    Rain continues to delay tennis doubles matches on outside clay courts. No matches will take place before 8:30 pm IST. 

  • 6:28 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Manu Bhaker scripts milestone

    Manu Bhaker becomes the first Indian female shooter to reach the finals in an individual event since 2004. Suma Thirur was the last Indian female shooter to reach the finals of the 10m air rifle even in the Athens Games in 2004.

  • 5:31 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    What's next for India?

    India's ace badminton player Lakshya Sen will kick off his campaign in the men's singles group-stage clash against Guatemala's Kevin Cordon at 7:10 PM IST. 

     

  • 5:30 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Rain delays tennis doubles matches in Paris

    Rain delays Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji's men's doubles opening match against the French duo of Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. 

  • 5:27 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Women's 10m Air Pistol Qualification Results

    1. Veronika Major (HUN): 582
    2. Oh Ye Jin (KOR): 582
    3. Manu Bhaker (IND): 580
    4. Thu Vinh Trinh (VIE): 578
    5. Kim Yeji (KOR): 578
    6. Li Xue (CHN): 577
    7. Sevval Tarhan (TUR): 577
    8. Jiang Ranxin (CHN): 577
  • 5:23 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Manu Bhaker enetrs FINALS!!!

    Manu Bhaker finishes third with five 10s in the sixth series and secures the finals qualification with 580-27x score. 

    Meanwhile, Rhythm Sangwan finishes 15th despite recording five 10s in the last series. She claims 573-14x score to miss out on a spot in the finals.

  • 5:13 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Manu Bhaker goes 3rd

    An excellent start for Manu Bhaker in the last series with four 10s in her first six attempts and also reaches 3rd in the standings. 

  • 5:07 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Manu Bhaker slips to 5th

    Manu Bhaker registers two 9s and one 8 in the fifth series to slip further down in the standing ahead of the last series. 

  • 4:59 PM (IST) Posted by Sumeet Kavthale

    Manu Bhaker jumps to 3rd position

    Manu Bhaker impresses again in the fifth series and goes past Korea's Oh Ye Jin to reach third in the standings. Meanwhile, Sangwan Rhytham aslo improves her aim and climbs to 15th spot in the fifth series but faces a tough task to finish in top 8 with just one series to go.

  • 4:49 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Bhaker continues to impress

    Manu 331/340 in the qualification. She is continuously in the top 5 and now needs to maintain it. Sangwan 276/290 and need to pull her socks up. Or else it might be too late for her.

  • 4:32 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Manu Bhaker in 4th!

    Manu is going. She is finding the inner rings with great consistency. She is on fourth after the second series with 194-11x. Sangwan outside top 10. This is still early, long way to go

  • 4:13 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Indians in top 5!

    Both the Indians have began the first series well. Manu Bhaker has 59/60 in the first series. She has all five inners. Sangwan has 59/60 too

  • 4:08 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Manu, Rhythm kick off their event!

    And so, the Indian shooters begin their event in 10m air pistol qualification.

  • 3:44 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Next Indian event at?

    The next Indian event is scheduled for 3:30 PM. Rohan Bopanna and Balaji will play their doubles first round match. We wait for it to begin.

    Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan will be in action in 10m air pistol qualification at 4 PM

  • 3:24 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Sarabjot, Arjun miss the final ticket!

    He was close but could not make it. Sarabjot finishes in 9th and misses out on the final by one spot. He has 577-16x points to his name, one more inner 10 could have helped him. But unfortunately, he is out. And so is Arjun, he finishes 18th with 547-17x

  • 3:20 PM (IST) Posted by Varun Malik

    Shooting!

    Ohh!. Both Sarabjot and Arjun misses out of finishing in the top 8 and won't make it to the final.

  • 3:03 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Tennis

    The French pair of Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin will be in action later tonight against India's Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji.

  • 2:59 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    End of series four

    Arjun slips to 14th whereas Sarabjot climbs to the third spot with some sensational shooting.

  • 2:55 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun slips to 14th whereas Sarabjot climbs to the 11th spot

  • 2:47 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun continues his fine form. He's ranked fourth after the end of the third series.

  • 2:43 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Sarabjot has fired all his shots in the third series. He's ranked 17th.

  • 2:33 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Please note that the top eight will make it to the medal round.

  • 2:32 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Second series done

    Arjun is now 10th and Sarabjot is 15th.

  • 2:30 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun and Sarabjot are finding form. Arjun is now 13th whereas Sarabjot has climbed to the 17th spot.

  • 2:26 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Kazakhstan wins the bronze in the 10 m air rifle mixed team event.

  • 2:22 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    First series done

    Arjun Singh Cheema is 12th with a total score of 96 whereas Sarabjot is 28th with a score of 94.

  • 2:18 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun fails to keep up his momentum and has now slipped to the 26th spot. Sarabjot is 27th.

  • 2:13 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    After five shots each, Arjun is second while Sarabjot is 23rd.

  • 2:06 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Arjun and Sarabjot in action

    10 m air pistol men's qualification round

     

    Both Arjun and Sarabjot start off with scores of 10 each

  • 2:01 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting: 10m air pistol qualification round | Explained

    Each shooter will hit 60 shots in a total of six series. Those who will finish in the top eight will qualify for the medal round. Notably, the medal round will be played tomorrow.

  • 1:46 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Moment to treasure!

    PV Sindhu had a moment to treasure as she was one of India's flag-bearers in the opening ceremony alongside Sharath Kamal.

  • 1:37 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    India needs to find hope in despair

    Though both the Indian pairs failed to impress today, the rest of the shooters are still gritty and hungry to win medals in the events to follow.

  • 1:24 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh will be in action in the men's 10m air pistol qualification round shortly.

  • 1:14 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Disappointment for India

    Arjun and Ramita managed a total score of 628.7 and fell inches short of Germany's total score of 629.7. The Indian pair missed out by a whisker.

  • 1:06 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihai of China ace the qualification round followed by Korea's Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun. Alexandra le and Islan Satpayev of Kazakhstan finish third and Germany's Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich finish in the fourth spot to advance to the medal round.

  • 1:04 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Elavenil and Sandeep also miss out. They finish 12th with a score of 626.3.

  • 1:01 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun and Ramita finish sixth and fail to make it to the medal rounds.

  • 12:58 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun and Ramita have moved to No. five and have five more shots remaining.

  • 12:57 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun and Ramita begin their third series.

  • 12:56 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Both the Indian pairs need to finish in the top four to qualify for the medal rounds.

  • 12:55 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Elevenil and Sandeep are 13th after the completion of the second series.

  • 12:51 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Solid showing by Arjun and Ramita in the second series. They have moved to the eighth spot and are halfway through the second series.

  • 12:49 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Elavenil-Sandeep are on the eighth spot after their first series of 10 shots.

  • 12:46 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Arjun-Ramita are 14th after the completion of their 10 shots each.

  • 12:43 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Rowing

    Balraj Panwar clocks 7:07.11s to finish fourth in the men's singles sculls heats. We'll see him in the repechage round tomorrow.

  • 12:40 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    After the completion of five shots, Ramita and Arjun are 19th, and Elavenil and Sandeep are 21st.

  • 12:38 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooting

    Sandeep Singh kicks off proceedings with a score of 10.8 in the 10 m air rifle mixed-team event

  • 12:34 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Rowing

    Balraj Panwar is currently competing in the men's singles sculls heats. He is currently occupying the third spot.

  • 12:25 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    10 m air rifle mixed-team event | Explained

    The pair of Elavenil Valarivan-Sandeep Singh and Ramita Jindal-Arjun Babuta will shoot a three series of 10 shots each. The pairs finishing in the top four will advance to the medal rounds. The top two will compete for gold whereas the bottom two will contest for bronze.

  • 12:19 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Shooters to take the range soon

    The pair of Elavenil Valarivan-Sandeep Singh and Ramita Jindal-Arjun Babuta will be in action in the 10m air rifle mixed team event shortly.

  • 12:02 PM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    India's medal hopefuls in action today

    The world rank number three -Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will open their Paris Olympics campaign today. The duo is a hot favourite to go all the way and clinch a medal.

  • 11:39 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    IOA President leading by example

    The IOA president PT Usha had gone to boost the morale of the Indian athletes in the games village and offered her words of encouragement.

  • 11:07 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Snippets from the opening ceremony

  • 10:48 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Boxing

    Preeti will enter the ring against Vo Thi Kim Anh of Vietnam in women's 54kg round-of-32

  • 10:37 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Hockey

    The Indian men's hockey team will take on New Zealand in its opening encounter.

  • 10:33 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Table tennis

    Harmeet Desai vs UAE's Zaid Abo Yaman in the men's singles first round

  • 10:00 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Badminton

    1. Lakshya Sen will be up against Guatemala's Kevin Cordon in a men's singles group-stage match
    2. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar of France in a men's doubles group-stage match
    3. Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto to take the court against South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in a women's double group-stage match

     

  • 9:45 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Tennis

    N Sriram Balaji and Rohan Bopanna will be in action against France's Fabien Reboul and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in men's doubles first round

  • 9:43 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Rowing

    Balraj Panwar will be in action in men's singles sculls heats

  • 9:41 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Day 1: Action-packed shooting events

    1. 10 m air rifle mixed team qualification
    2. Men's 10 m air pistol qualification
    3. 10 m air rifle mixed team medal events
    4. Women's 10 m air pistol qualification
  • 9:30 AM (IST) Posted by Kumar Rupesh

    Good morning!

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Paris Olympics. Today is the first day of the Games and it has a medal opportunity in store for India in shooting. Stay tuned to our live blog as we bring you the instant updates from day 1.