Day 8 of the Olympics might see India clinch two more medals as shuttler PV Sindhu and boxer Pooja Rani are both just one win away from glory.
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After what was a very positive day for India on Friday, fans will be looking forward to seeing the athletes perform on Saturday with hopes of a similar showing. There are several events in which India could potentially do a good job. One of those events, without a doubt, is the mammoth clash between shuttler PV Sindhu and Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-Ying. It is the semi-final of the women’s singles event and whoever emerges victorious will be guaranteed a medal. Sindhu is one of India’s best hopes of getting a gold medal and fans will be hoping that she keeps her good run of form going until the end.
Boxing will also be a sport that fans will need to look out for. Friday saw Lovlina Borgohain assure a medal for India as she progressed to the semi-final of the women’s welterweight event. Saturday will see Pooja Rani in action in the women’s middleweight quarter-final. Should she win, India will be assured of their third medal. Amit Panghal will also be in action in a men’s flyweight round of 16 tie. He is also one of the strongest contenders for a medal in the Indian contingent.
Athletics will see long-jumper Murali Sreeshankar attempt to qualify to the finals. Archer Atanu Das will also be in action as he will partake in a round of 16 tie in India’s first action of the day. Anjum Moudgil and Tejaswini Sawant will be looking to rescue a below-par campaign for India in shooting so far, while the women’s hockey team will hope to qualify for the knockout stages of their competition.
Golf
Men’s round 2 – Anirban Lahiri: 04:15
Men’s round 3 – Anirban Lahiri, Udayan Mane: 06:00
Athletics
Women’s discus throw qualification group A – Seema Punia: 06:00
Women’s discus throw qualification group B – Kamalpreet Kaue: 07:25
Men’s long jump qualification group B – Murali Sreeshankar: 15:40
Archery
Men’s individual 1/8 eliminations – Atanu Das: 07:18
Men’s individual quarter-final to final (subject to qualification) – Atanu Das: TBD
Boxing
Men’s 52kg round of 16 – Amit Panghal: 07:30
Women’s 75kg quarter-final – Pooja Rani: 15:36
Shooting
Women’s 50m rifles 3 position qualification – Tejaswini Sawant, Anjum Moudgil: 08:30
Women’s 50m rifles final 3 positions – Tejaswini Sawant, Anjum Moudgil (subject to qualification): 12:30
Sailing
49ers men’s race 10, 11 & 12 – KC Ganapathy, Varun Thakkar: 08:35
Badminton
Women’s singles semi-finals – PV Sindhu: 15:20
Hockey
Women’s India vs South Africa (Pool A): 08:45
A lot of hopes will rest on the shoulders of Sindhu, Pooja, Das, and Panghal. While Pooja and Das were not specifically looked at as medal contenders when the Games began, the two have delivered exceptional performances so far. Both are close to winning a medal for the country, especially Pooja who is just one win away from confirming yet another boxing medal.
For Sindhu and Panghal, however, there is pressure. The two are seen as strong medal contenders. Sindhu is also just one win away from confirming atleast a silver, while Panghal needs to win a couple of bouts to ensure that he bags a medal. It will be interesting to see how the two perform under pressure at such a big stage.
