Korean archers continue to rule in team events
South Korea won gold in men’s team archery beating France 5-1. The win reinforces South Korea as the country to beat in archery, as South Korean men have now claimed seven of 10 gold medals since the Olympic event was introduced in 1988 in Seoul. On Sunday, the South Korean women’s team won their 10th consecutive gold after an intense shoot-off against China. France are left with silver and Turkey claimed bronze.
The French team, cheered on by a boisterous crowd at Esplanade des Invalides, put up a strong fight in the first set with an even score against South Korea, giving each team one set point. But South Korea’s dominance in the sport proved too much. In the third set, the South Korean men hit the bullseye with all but one of their arrows.
The match-up between the host nation and defending gold medallists brought wildly enthusiastic support for both sides, with spectators appearing to wave the France and South Korea flags in equal measure.
Earlier, the Indian team of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Pravin Jadhav, made a quarterfinal exit with a 6-2 loss to Turkey. The team’s historic World Cup win over Korea in the final and Dhiraj Bommadevara’s stunning victory over Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mauro Nespoli, in the lead-up to the Paris Games, gave them a perfect launchpad as they came here as the World No. 2 team.
But once again, they could not cope with the famed Olympic pressure and suffered another quarter-final exit. Indian archers have never crossed the quarterfinal hurdle in their nine Olympic appearances, having made their debut in Seoul 1988.
With a full team in Paris, archers have three more medal events -- men’s and women’s individual and mixed team finals -- left. But those are considered much tougher with more challenging draws, and it would be a miracle if the likes of Bommadevara and Deepika Kumari are able to turn it around. Score wise, India lost 53-57, 52-55, 55-54, 54-58, summing up their forgettable outing as their best score from the four-setter was 55, which is considered average in the sport.