Day 4 was India’s best day at the Olympics so far. Although team India didn’t win any medals, medal hopefuls put in strong performances to ensure that they remained well on course.
The men’s hockey team endured a nervous final quarter to grind out a 2-1 win over heavyweights Argentina, moving India up to third spot in the table, behind the Netherlands, whom they face next.
The story of the day was Atanu Das’ two impressive wins in the rounds of 64 and 32. Das will have tougher challenges now, but the youngster stared pressure in the eye so far while remaining ice-cool throughout. Crucially for him and the rest of the field, world record holder and No. 1 Kim Woojin of Korea has crashed out in the round of 32.
On Day 5, Jitu Rai, participating in the men’s 50 m pistol, will hope to do better than his 8th place finish in the 10m air pistol final. This is his preferred event and the Indian is ranked 3rd in the world in this category.
The mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna will come up against the Australian combination of Samantha Stosur and John Peers in the first round. After having crashed out of the men’s singles and doubles, this is the last chance for India to salvage a tennis medal.
Men’s 50m pistol – Qualification: 5.30 pm IST, Final: 8.30 pm IST
Shooting, which was “expected” to yield 3-4 medals, has not gone to plan at all. Barring Abhinav Bindra’s close 4th place finish in the 10m air rifle, no other shooter has come close to the podium so far.
Jitu Rai will look to rectify that in the 50 m air pistol. He has tons of experience in this event, and is an Asian Games gold medallist, besides bagging two silvers in World Cups. Also shooting in the same event will be 40-year old veteran Prakash Nanjappa.
Women’s Individual Archery, Round of 64 – Match 1: 6.09 pm IST, Match 2: 1.27 am IST, August 11
Both Deepika Kumari and Bombayla Devi will be in action in the round of 64. Having finished 20th and 24th, respectively, in the ranking round they face lower-ranked opponents first up.
Bombayla Devi Laishram vs Laurence Baldauff (Austria): 6.09 pm
Deepika Kumari vs Kristine Esebua (Georgia): 1.27 am, August 11
Men’s Judo, 90 kg – Round of 32: 7.05 pm IST
In what is sure to be a match of great interest not just to Indians but also to neutrals, Avtar Singh, ranked 79th in the world, will be up against Popole Misenga from the Refugee Olympic Team. Misenga is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and sought political asylum in Brazil after fleeing Congo in 2013.
Women’s Hockey Group Stage Match: 7.30 pm IST
The Indian women's team went down tamely to Great Britain by three goals in the last group stage match, and now have a mountain to climb if they have to make it to the quarterfinals. They face World No. 3 Australia who, surprisingly, have lost their first two games to Great Britain and Argentina. This is the opening that the women might be looking for in order to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Men’s single sculls rowing – Semifinals C/D: 7.50 pm IST
Dattu Bhokkanal is out of medal contention and will now look to salvage some pride in the ranking round. Bhokkanal will take part in the semifinals C/D, which are used to decide the final ranking places.
Mixed Doubles Tennis – Round of 16: 12 am IST, August 11
After the chaos that has engulfed Indian tennis yet again, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis decided to split up as a doubles pairing on the eve of the former’s mixed doubles match. Both Mirza and Bopanna have the necessary pedigree to go all the way, but whether they will be able to operate at their best amidst these controversies remains to be seen.
Boxing – Men’s Light Welterweight (64 kgs): Round of 32: 3 am IST, August 11
The second of India's three boxers, Manoj Kumar, starts his campaign in the 64 kg light welterweight category against Lithuania’s Evaldas Petrauskas today. A win will take him into the Round of 16.
Weightlifting - Men's 77 kg, Final: 6.30 pm IST,
Twenty-four-year old Sathish Sivalingam will be in action in the men's 77 kg event. Sivalingam has won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
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