Tokyo Olympics: Tarundeep Rai falls short in men's individual archery event

Indian archer Tarundeep Rai crashed out of the men’s individual event at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday (July 28). Rai first faced Ukraine’s Oleksii Hunbin and went into the fourth set of their match needing a win to stay alive. However, the veteran Indian archer saved the match then went on to win it too. Perhaps most importantly, he kept his cool when the going got tough. Hunbin, on the other hand, seemed to lose the plot in the final set. As a result, he was left ruing a missed chance as he needed only a draw in the fourt set to seal the win. (Tokyo 2020 full coverage)

Indeed, Hunbin seemed headed for the last 8 after two out of three arrows in the fourth set were done with. He shot a 9 and 8, as opposed to Rai who shot two 8’s. Yet the final shot was the difference maker – Hunbin shot an 8 while Rai shot a 10. At 4-4, it was game on.

But it was the Indian who now had momentum. He shot 10, 8 and 10 to Hunbin’s 8. 9 and 8 to take the final set.

Sadly for Rai, he could not make it past the next round. Facing Israel’s Itay Shanny, the match was a nailbiter. Indeed, it ended 5-5 at the end of 5 sets and necessitated a shoot-off.

In the shootoff, Shanny hit a 10 while Rai hit a 9. As a result, the Indian’s Olympic dream came to an end.

Indian archery at Tokyo Olympics

The Indian archers have yet to secure a medal in the Games thus far. Of course, the only events that have been completed in the sport is the mixed team and men’s team event.

In both events, India were knocked out by heavyweights South Korea, who unsurprisingly went on to claim the gold medal both times.

The Tokyo Olympics, delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now up and running. The Games have not been without their share of controversies, however.

The event is happening despite plenty of protests from the Japanese people against it. And the angst is not without reason. Tokyo is currently in a state of emergency due to a rise in COVID cases.

The Games will by and large be played out in the absence of fans, always a major psychological blow to athletes. There’s also been a number of cases reported in the Olympic village itself.

Nevertheless, the Games remain an event that many around the world will be keen to watch. From July 23 to August 8, many will be hooked onto their televisions to follow the events.