The second day of Rio Olympics did not give Indian fans much reasons to cheer. Besides gymnast Dipa Karmakar and women's hockey team, it was a disappointing day for India. The shooters and archers could not shine in the ongoing Rio Olympics.
The hockey players showed some tremendous fighting spirit to come back and draw their game against Japan 2-2. Japan scored two goals in the first half, but India roared back with a quick start after the break, which helped them score two goals. One needs to applaud India goalkeeper Savita Punia, who was brilliant during the match. She made some huge saves in the final quarter to help India gain one point.
Talking about Indian women's participation in Rio Olympics, Dipa Karmakar was one of the most-talked athlete, who has created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to quality for gymnastics.
In her maiden Olympics appearance, the Tripura girl did not disappoint, as she qualified for the individual vault finals. She finished eighth in the qualifying rounds, making her the last gymnast to qualify for the finals, which will take shape on Aug. 14. But with the competitive field of gymnasts in the finals, Dipa will need to be on top of her game to finish with a medal in Olympics.
The women's archery team, comprising Deepika Kumari, Laxmirani Majhi and Bombayla Devi, after defeating Colombia in the round of 16, lost to Russia in the quarters. The Indian women gave it their all, but were unlucky to lose in the shoot-off, after both India and Russia were tied at 4-4, winning two sets each. It was sad to see the trio walk off without a medal in the competition, where they were a strong contender.
Another major disappointment was Heena Sindhu in the shooting arena, who could not even reach the finals of the 10m Air Pistol. Men's trap shooters Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Kyan Chenai were also unimpressive in Day 1 of their event, finishing on 17th and 19th place. They need to perform much better if they are to return home with a medal.
