Tokyo Olympics 2020 Day 5 Highlights: Deepika Kumari on medal trail, Pooja Rani 1 win away from medal

Tokyo Olympics 2020 Day 5 Highlights: PV Sindhu advanced to the last-16 stage, Pravin Jadhav stunned the World Number 2 before going out in his next round. Deepika Kumari sailed through to the R16 after winning two matches. Pooja Rani won her R16 match and is 1 win away from a medal.

By: Sports Desk Written by Mihir Vasavda
Updated: July 28, 2021 08:55 PM IST
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Deepika kumariTokyo Olympics: Deepika Kumari sailed into the Round of 16 after winning her first two matches, beginning her Individual Women's campaign on Wednesday.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 Day 5 Highlights: The fifth day of the ongoing Games started off on a disappointing note as the Rani Rampal-led India women’s hockey team lost 4-1 against reigning Olympic gold medallists Great Britain. PV Sindhu added a positive spin to the day by progressing to the round-of-16 with a second straight win in badminton women’s singles Group J. She defeated Hong Kong’s NY Cheung in straight sets: 21-9, 21-16 in little more than half-an-hour. In archery, Pravin Jadhav stunned the World Number 2 Galsan Bazarzhapov in his first round but then lost to World Number 1 Brady Ellison.

Tarundeep Rai won his first contest but eventually lost to Israel’s Itay Shanny 5-6 in the round-of-32 of the men’s individual event. Out of contention for medals, Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh finished sixth in the semi-final A of lightweight men’s double sculls in rowing with a timing of 6:24.41, creating Olympic history for India in the process.

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Late in the day, there were some very positive results for India. Pooja Rani won her Round of 16 match and is now one win away from a medal place. Deepika Kumari won her first round in straight sets. Up against the USA in her Round of 32 match, she lost an early lead to take us to a fifth set, which she also won to go into the last 16.

 

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Tokyo Olympics 2021 Day 5: India women's hockey team were the first in action on Wednesday as they lost 4-1 against Great Britain in their third group stage match. PV Sindhu progressed to the last-16 stage of badminton women's singles after beating NY Cheung 21-9, 21-16. Tarundeep Rai's Olympic journey came to an end in the round-of-32 of the men's archery individual event.

20:51 (IST)28 Jul 2021
India's golfers begin campaign

For Anirban, 34, Tokyo2020 will be his second Olympics appearance, after finishing 56th out of 59 at the Rio Games. Udayan, ranked 356, was the first reserve and made the cut after pull-outs. 

20:27 (IST)28 Jul 2021
On the bloodbath (and a ghost sighting) in Badminton Men's singles
19:49 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Food down the bin

The organisers apologised for wasting food during opening ceremony after videos of trucks disposing off food boxes went viral.

"From this week, measures to optimise (food) orders are being implemented at each of the venues, (and) we regret that large amount of over-ordering has occurred up until now," a spokesperson said. He also clarified thefood was not disposed but recycled into animal feed.

Junko Hitomi, an official at a non-profit organisation called The People that runs a food bank for people in need, told Reuters, "What a waste. I have no other way to put it."

19:46 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Momota nonotata

Kento Momota first came to prominence at the 2012 Junior World Championship as the home hero at Chiba, Japan. He would go the distance in a field which boasted of fellow Tokyo contender Viktor Axelsen. Dismissing a Korean 21-17, 21-8 in the semifinals, Momota would make the finals and go onto announce his arrival by being crowned champion beating the arch rival, a Chinese. 

Revenge was served kimchee cold - on Wednesday at the Musashino Forest arena, when Momota's Korean opponent, pickled in that defeat from 9 years ago, resurfaced in the Olympics draw, in the form of a 21-15, 21-19 nemesis. The Korean, his country's only Men's singles shuttler at Tokyo, Heo Kwang-Hee, dashed Japan's biggest hope, groomed to shine in this Olympics from the moment the country won the hosting rights. 

A champion from elementary high school right upto the double World Championships in 2018 and 2019 marked the 26-year-old as a Tokyo favourite.

Home hopes Naomi Osaka and gymnast Kohei Uchimura were upset earlier. 

The badminton shocker follows on the heels of a non-sport related gambling ban that saw Japan punish their big name on ethical grounds leading him to miss Rio Games. Momota would win a staggering 11 titles on the circuit in 2019 on his return. A freak pre-dawn car accident in Kuala Lumpur as Momota was headed to the airport, left the driver dead. Momota, extricated from the pileup, needed eye surgery last summer. Earlier this year, Momota tested positive for Covid at the airport, while headed to the first international meet on resumption. 

The Japanese just couldn't catch a break. And when Kwang-Hee, ranked 38, showed up opposite him, Momota couldn't believe his luck when shuttles sprayed wide. At one moment in the match, when he realised the exit was imminent, he glazed over and appeared to go blank. Ghosts from 2012 glided in front of him. The ghost's accreditation read Heo Kwang-Hee.

19:42 (IST)28 Jul 2021
India's schedule for tomorrow

19:06 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Pooja's punch

Pravin Jadhav would give her competition for the most combative Indian performance today, while Deepika also showed heart in digging herself out from a tight corner against the American in her 2nd round, but here's a look at what Pooja Rani's punch looks like:

18:52 (IST)28 Jul 2021
On PV Sindhu and Pooja Rani

Pooja won all three rounds on the five scorecards, with one judge ruling the second round for the Indian 10-8, a score reserved for a "clear winner". “I haven’t eaten or drank anything all day,” her coach Sanjay laughed, minutes after Pooja’s win on Wednesday. “I’m getting some juice right now. That is what happens when your child is at a big stage."

Earlier on Wednesday, looking to book her knockouts slot, Sindhu, a Rio silver medallist did well to ramp up the aggression and hit through Cheung’s defiance.

18:26 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Kento Momota knocked out in first round

Well, well, well. We had Osaka crashing out early. Now, on the badminton courts, Kento Momota crashes out in the first round.

18:02 (IST)28 Jul 2021
La la land

In the much awaited equestrian event of individual dressage, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl wins gold, performing "horse ballet" on her mare 'Dalera' to the soundtrack of the film La la land.

In an interview with The Horse magazine, she had spoken about Dalera. 

"Dalera is a horse with no limits. She is such a dancer, such an easy mover, she is a real rock star in the arena, she wants to present herself, she wants to show how good she is. She loves competing.  She is the most amazing horse I have ever ridden at this level so far.

It wasn't always  that smooth when she first came upon Dalera.

"When I got her she was already eight years old, she was pretty tense, but already showed a lot of potential and a very good piaffe / passage, not perfect, but you could see that it was going to be good. But she was a bit afraid of the flying changes, so I nearly fell off in the first year, when she was bucking – she was crazy and really afraid of a single flying change.”

As Hugh Grant's character says famously in the movie Notting Hill, "the readers of Horse and Hound would be happy".

17:36 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Richarlison's goals give Brazil a 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia

Richarlison scored a pair of goals and Brazil advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic soccer tournament with a 3-1 victory over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.  Brazil started the day at the top of the standings in Group D, which includes Germany and Ivory Coast, but needed a win or draw to advance.

Matheus Cunha gave Brazil the lead in the 14th minute, but Abdulelah Almari equalized in the 27th with a goal that was confirmed by video review. Richarlison, who plays for Everton, scored a header in the 76th, and then added his second in stoppage time. He now has five goals at the Tokyo Games. Saudi Arabia has been eliminated.

17:10 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Schoenmaker makes a point

South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker breaks 200m breaststroke Olympic record in the prelims at 2:19.16. she was within one second to beating the world record (2:19.11, set in 2013 by Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen.) She has already won silver at 100m breaststroke.

Five years ago, when she couldn't qualify for Rio, Schoenmaker thought about quitting the sport. It was a tough setback. I really struggled to enjoy swimming after that, the excitement was so real, and we were getting so happy about me going, and then finding out I didn't make it," Schoenmaker told Olympics.com: "But now I feel like I'm very happy, compared to who I was as a person and where I was in life."

16:44 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Swimming, gymnastics events continue

Some records being burned in the pool meanwhile.

16:42 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Day 5: Complete List of Results for Indians

Archery

- Tarundeep Rai beats Oleksii Hunbin (Ukraine) 6-4 in men's individual first round match; loses to Itay Shanny (Israel) in shoot-off in second round.
- Pravin Jadhav beats Galsan Bazarzhapov (Russian Olympic Committee) 6-0 in men's individual first round; loses to Brady Ellison (USA) 0-6 in second round. 
- Deepika Kumari beats Karma (Bhutan) 6-0 in women's individual first round match; beats Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez (USA) 6-4 in second round. 
     
Badminton

- P V Sindhu beats NY Cheung (Hong Kong) 21-9 21-16 in women's singles group J match. Qualifies for pre-quarterfinals.
- B Sai Praneeth lost to M Caljouw (Netherlands) 14-21 14-21 in men's singles Group D match. Fails to qualify for pre-quarterfinals.
     
Boxing

- Pooja Rani beats Ichrak Chaib (Algeria) in women's 75kg round of 16 bout.
     
Hockey

- India loses 1-4 to Great Britain in women's Pool A match.
     
Rowing

- Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh finish sixth in men's lightweight double sculls semifinal 2; fail to qualify for medal round.
     
Sailing

- KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar finish 18th, 17th and 19th in three races to languish at 18th overall in men's Skiff 49er.

16:13 (IST)28 Jul 2021
The Olympic cheer

Yui Ohaishi was diagnosed with anemia is on medication for it. In a 2015 National Championships race in Japan, she clocked the slowest time among 40 competitors. Today, she won her second gold of Tokyo 2020.

After the early morning desappointment in Women's Hockey, this is how the late resurgence in the day by our Archers and Pooja Rani is making us feel about Day 5:

15:56 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Who is Pooja Rani?

Pooja Rani became a youth state champion in Haryana in 2009 and and followed it up with a silver in the Youth Nationals in the 60kg category.

Her big break came in 2014, when she won the bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in the 75 kg category. She also represented India at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 in the 75 kg category. She won the gold medal in South Asian Games 2016. She also won Silver (2012) and Bronze (2015) in Asian Championship 75 kg weight categories. However, she failed to qualify for Rio 2016.

She hails from Nimriwali village of Haryana state’s Bhiwani district, which is considered to be boxing’s cradle in India. She joined the Hawa Singh Boxing Academy in her town, keeping it a secret from her family, who disapproved of the sport initially.

15:50 (IST)28 Jul 2021
India's women boxers continue on medal trail

After Lovlina yesterday, Pooja Rani today.

15:46 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Day 5: Who were the best performing Indians?

Deepika Kumari was probably the biggest performer from among India's medal hopes today. Pravin Jadhav was also stunning in his performance, but he had the worst luck possible in terms of draw and his campaign is over. Pooja Rani was also impressive in her dominant win in the Round of 16. Like Lovlina, she too is now one win away from a medal. PV Sindhu also had a very dominant display earlier today to sail into the knockout rounds.

That is it for Indians participating on Day 5. Do stay tuned for more updates from the Tokyo Olympics. We shall also let you know what events to watch out for tomorrow in a bit.

15:39 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Jesse Owens and the Olympic spirit he stands for

When Jesse Owens ran, nothing else mattered. Fluid, languid and loose, everything around him was a breeze as his body faced the runway like a catapult. Even as cold, drizzly rain fell, Owens moved his limbs in sweeping, lyrical motion defying time.

It was the summer of 1936 in Berlin...Writes Deeptesh Sen, who once kicked a football so hard his shoes went inside the goal along with the ball.

15:18 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Badminton: Praneeth's campaign ends

In badminton men's singles, Sai Praneeth's campaign ended when he lost to Mark Caljouw (WR 29) of the Netherlands 14-21, 14-21  in the second Group match. The Indian finished last and third in the Group. Both his matches were against lower ranked players. Mark also set a record of sorts when he became the first Dutch player to reach the round of 16 in Olympics history.

PV Sindhu has gone through to the knockout stages in the women's draw meanwhile.

15:17 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Deepika on track

A very successful day for Deepika Kumari, who began her Women's Individual campaign today. She is set for her Round of 16 match tomorrow. Archer Atanu Kumar is also set to begin his campaign tomorrow, relatedly.

15:09 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Deepika wins 6-4, goes into R16

Deepika shoots a 6 in the fourth set! What a disappointment! The USA are back in this now. The American wins the fourth set and it's 4-4 here. We are going into a decider.

5th set: Deepika shoots 9 and 9. USA shoots 8 and 8. Deepika just needs a steady shot. She shoots 8. USA need a 10 to take us to a shoot-off. She cannot. It's a 9. And Deepika wins! She is into the R16!

15:05 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Deepika takes 4-2 lead

Oh! It's a 10 to begin for Deepika again. A seriesd of three 10s from her now. Finishes with 9 and 8. The American finishes with a 7. And the third set goes to Deepika! Up 4-2.  

READ | How with 4 Olympics golds, Jesse Owens ran Hitler out of his Aryan supremacy theory

15:02 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Archery: Deepika vs Jennifer Mucino-Feenandez

Deepika begins her R32 match. This for a place in the last 16. Up against Mucino-Fernandez of the USA. And it's the American who takes the first set. Goes 2-0 up. What a second set from Deepika! Finishes with two 10s! Gets back level with the American.

It's Deepika 2-2 Jennifer after two sets.

14:58 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Pooja Rani wins R16 match

Pooja Rani beats Ichrak Chaik of Algeria by 5:0. She is into the quarterfinal, and can assure India of a medal if she wins just another match, like Lovlina yesterday. 

14:51 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Round 2: Pooja dominates R16 match

Round 2: The Alegerian looks to have settled down a little more than the first round. The judges awarded the first round to Pooja, the scorecard shows. And they award the second round to her too! Pooja is ahead with the last round left.

Badminton: Sai Praneeth, in action in his last group match, is trailing 14-18 in first game against mark Calujouw of the netherlands

14:46 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Pooja Rani's Round of 16 match begins

Pooja Rani enters the ring. Taking on Algeria's Chaib Ichrak. Pooja, the boxer from Delhi, landing some clean blows in the first minute as Round 1. Rani lands another left jab flush in the centre in Round 1. The Algerian fights back in the last few seconds as Pooja looks to hang back. We think Pooja dominated Round 1. Let's see what the judges think.

14:37 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Up Next: Archery R32, Boxing R16

Deepika will have her Round of 32 match soon. Pooja Rani (BOxing) and Sai Praneeth (Badminton) are also in action next. Pooja Rani could get within one win of a medal if she wins today. It's set to be a frantic hour in Tokyo for India.

14:21 (IST)28 Jul 2021
3rd Set: Deepika wins comfortably, sails into Round of 32

Deepika comes up with her first 10 in the third set and wins the match in straight sets.

Deepika 9 10 8

Karma 6 8 10

14:18 (IST)28 Jul 2021
2nd Set: Deepika wins, takes 4-0 lead

It's the Bhutanese woman who gets us underway in the second set. After a bad start from her, it's Deepika who takes this set too and takes a 4-0 lead. Atanu Das seen talking to her from the sidelines. She is almost into the Round of 32 now. another set needed.

Round 2

Deepika 8 9 9

Karma 7 7 9

14:15 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Deepika vs Karma: Deepika wins 1st set

Deepika Kumari vs Karma Karma. India vs Bhutan. Archery is Bhutan's national sport. We begin! Both archers begin with 8s. It's windy at the moment, making it challenging for them.

Round 1

Deepika 8 9 9

Karma 8 6 9

14:13 (IST)28 Jul 2021
How Jadhav beat the World Number 2 earlier today
14:11 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Wardrobe Malfunction

Even before the race began, Kristof Milak knew his pursuit to set world record in 200m butterfly was a lost cause. Just minutes before his race, he realised his swimsuit had been ripped. In the scramble for a new swimwear, he said he lost his focus.

“It was a problem for me. I have a routine, a rhythm, a focus. This broke my focus and that problem impacted my time. I wasn’t swimming for the medal. I was swimming for the time. I lost my focus and knew I couldn’t do it.” Still, he was good enough to clock his third-best timing ever (1:51:25.), set an Olympic record and clinch gold. 

14:08 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Biles's withdrawal

Simone Biles made an important point for mental health yesterday. On the mental aspect of competing at the Games, it is one side of Deepika Kumari's game which has been talked a lot about after her Olympic freezes. She is set to step into the arena after the match currently ongoing. 

READ | What Simone Biles’s withdrawal means; why she can still win some medals

13:51 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Fantastic frames from Day 5
13:50 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Next Up for India: Deepika Kumari

It's been a huge win for Pravin Jadhav at Tokyo 2020 despite going out in the Round of 32. Next up for India is Deepika Kumari. We've been piling a million hopes on her for so years now. In the time in between Deepika has won World Cup gold one after another but her arrow aimed at the Olympic medal has continued to hover mid-air.

Could Tokyo be redemption for Deepika? 

Next Up: Deepika Kumari vs Karma (Bhutan) in Women’s Individual 1/32 Elimination Match: 2:14 PM

13:28 (IST)28 Jul 2021
World Number 1 Ellison beats Jadhav in straight sets

Can Jadhav come back from a 0-4 deficit. Starts with a 8...oh! Ellison starts with a 8 too... and then it's another 8 from Jadhav...then a 7. That's it then.

Jadhav 8 8 7

Ellison 8 9 9

13:26 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Set 2: Ellison takes 4-0 lead

Jadhav starts with a 10! On his last shot, with the clock counting down, he reloads. And finishes with a 7...

Jadhav 10 9 7

Ellison 8 10 9

13:24 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Jadhav vs Ellison: Set 1 goes to American

It begins! The Indian beat the World Number 2, can he beat the World Number 1 now?

Jadhav 9 8 10

Ellison 9 10 9

13:22 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Medvedev asks some very Russian questions

"I can finish the match but I can die. If I die, are you going to be responsible?” tennis star Daniil Medvedev told the chair umpire about the extreme heat. Later, after winning, he said he felt “darkness” in his eyes. “I didn’t know what to do to feel better. I was ready to just fall down on the court.”

The second-seeded Medvedev won 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 against Fabio Fognini of Italy

13:18 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Pravin Jadhav: A short profile

Pravin Jadhav's journey has been full of hardships. He almost joined his father as a daily wage labourer before things changed for better for the Jadhav family.

Struggling to make ends meet, his father had told him that he has to drop out after class seven and join him at the construction site, where he himself worked. One fine day, Pravin’s sports teacher at his Zilla Parishad School in Sarade, Vikas Bhujbal, found some promise in him and asked him to compete in athletics to earn a better living.

He has not looked back since then and his family is also no longer grappling with poverty. That journey could be reaching its zenith in a few more minutes.

13:05 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Jadhav vs Ellison

Up next for Pravin: The dreaded Brady Ellison, who has also just won his first round match with a straight sets victory. The match between Pravin and Brady set to begin in another 15 minutes or so.

13:01 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Pravin provides a moment of pride on Day 5

Huge result for India at the halfway point of the day. Archer Pravin, who pulled off the first upset in Indian archery in the qualifications rounds itself by outscoring Atanu, has now pulled off one of the hugest results for India at the Tokyo games so far. He has pulled off an upset win over the 2nd ranked Recurve Archer in the world from Russia. 

12:42 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Pravin beats World No.2

Pravin Jadhav stuns World No. 2 Galsan Bazarzhapov 6-0 of Russian Olympic Committee in first round of men's individual event. His next Round will be at 1:22 pm IST today. 

12:38 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Set 3 - Pravin wins, wins in straight sets, goes into ROund of 32

The third set goes to the Indian 28-24. Comprehensive victory. Pravin Jadhav wins the first round in his individual event, wining against Bazarzhapov in straight sets. Pravin wins 6-0 (29-27, 28-27, 28-24). He goes into the Round of 32.

12:35 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Set 2 - Pravin takes 4-0 lead with last shot of set

It's the Russian who shoots first in the second set. And he starts with a 10! Pravin can only follow with a 9. It's the Russian who looks to have won this set before he shoots way off on his last shot. Pravin nicks the 10 with his last shot! Sensational finish to the set.

Russian 10 10 7

Pravin 9 9 10

12:31 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Archery: Pravin Jadhav begins individual campaign - Wins 1st set vs Russian

The Indian and the Russian are in the centre. It's Pravin who goes first. And he starts with a 10. The Russian starts - with a 9. Pravin follow with a 9. Oh and he follows with a 10! That will wrap it up. Set 1 goes to Pravin.

Pravin 10 9 10

Russian 9 9 9

12:20 (IST)28 Jul 2021
From Satara to Tokyo: Pravin aims to make it big

Pravin Jadhav had two choices to make as a young boy — join his father as a wage labourer or run on the track for a better living. Never in his dream he had thought of representing India in the Olympics and that too in a sport alien to him. | READ MORE |

12:10 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Baseball: Japan survive scare in opener

Top seeds Japan survive upset scare against Dominican Republic, score three runs in bottom of ninth for a 4-3 walk-off victory.

12:02 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Artistic Gymnastics: Biles withdraws from individual event!

Simone Biles won't defend her individual title tonight. The four-time Olympic gold medalist will not compete in today's individual all-round final. "After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition. We wholeheartedly support her decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being," USA Gymnastics said in a statement.

12:00 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Archery: Pravin in action in half-an-hour!

Up next for India, archer Pravin Jadhav, who finished 31st in men's rankings rounds, is in R64 action in just 30 minutes with Deepika Kumari on a little after from 2:14 PM. Tarundeep Rai's journey came to an end in the R32 of the men's individual event earlier today.

11:25 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Swimming: The story of the lucky goggles

The 17-year-old USA swimmer Lydia Jacoby, who won the gold at 100m breaststroke, was wearing a lucky pink goggles, given to her by former Olympian Jessica Hardy Meichtry. Jessica had met Jacoby five years ago at a swim clinic. At the time, she gave her a pair of pink goggles that she'd worn in competition.

" I gave her a new pair of goggles because Speedo stopped making them," she said. "So I had a few left from when I swam but really I didn't save enough and I'm kicking myself now that I don't have more to give, because there's none left!" Jessica told US Today.

"You know at the time of year I went (to that swim clinic), it's light out pretty much the whole day so I didn't even realize that we stayed up talking to like two in the morning one of the nights. Just really good people, we connected and they showed me around — like a whale watching tour and a glacier and like, I saw eagles and moose — it was one of the most unforgettable trips in my life."

11:20 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Tennis: Svitolina, Medvedev march on

Ukraine's fourth seed Elina Svitolina made her way to the semi-finals in the tennis women's singles event after beating Camila Giorgi 6-4, 6-4 in the last-eight stage. Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova also advanced to the last-four. On the other hand, ROC's Daniil Medvedev battled past the scorching heat of Tokyo to outlast Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 and moved to the quarters.

11:10 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Sailing: Varun, Ganapathy 19th in race 4!

Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy finish 19th in race 04 in the men's skiff 49-er. After finishing 18th in the first two races, the pair bettered their performance to finish 17th in race 3. But in race 4, they fell off by two places. More sailing action tomorrow.

11:00 (IST)28 Jul 2021
LISTEN: Topless Tongan's bizarre Olympic journey
10:45 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Swimming: Milak wins gold in 200m men's butterfly

In the year Michael Phelps won the last of his 23 Olympic gold medals, in 2016, Hungarian youngster Kristof Milak had to undergo heart surgery. Three years later, the 19-year-old broke Phelps' 200m butterfly world record — which the American had first set in 2001 and continued to better till 2009. Now in his first Olympics, Milak has won the gold in the event by 2.48 seconds.

10:35 (IST)28 Jul 2021
'Bad decisions, worst match': Marijne after India's 4-1 loss to GB

India women's hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne on Wednesday described the 4-1 loss to Great Britain as his side's "worst match" of the ongoing Olympics and lambasted the players for failing to raise their game in the crucial match. "This was our worst match. We always try to play for a six (out of 10) for each individual, and I don't think each individual today played for a six. Bad decisions, bad choices and I'm pretty disappointed by this," he said after the match. "The goal was too early, but the individual performances just weren't good enough. I can keep analysing what went wrong tactically, but it starts with every individual reaching their level and that didn't happen today." India had earlier lost 5-1 to top-ranked Netherlands before slumping to a 2-0 defeat against Germany.

10:20 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Phelps shows his support for Biles...

Michael Phelps, the legendary US swimmer who has battled depression in the past and acknowledged thoughts about suicide, threw his weight behind Simone Biles, the gymnast who pulled out of the team gymnastics event.

"We're human beings," Phelps told NBC. "Nobody is perfect. It's okay to not be okay, to go through ups and downs. The biggest thing is we all need to ask for help. I can say personally it was very challenging. It was hard for me to ask for help. I felt like I was carrying, as Simone said, the weight of the world on my shoulders. It's a tough situation."

Biles had explained that her withdrawal was due to mental health issues.

"The Olympics is overwhelming," Phelps said. "There are a lot of emotions that go into it. The easiest way for me to say it is, talking about weight of gold, is we need someone we can trust. Someone who can help us be ourselves and listen. Someone who's not going to try and fix us. We carry a lot of weight on our shoulders and it's challenging especially when we have the lights on us and all of these expectations."

10:05 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Sailing: India in men’s skiff 49er race 3...

Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy finish on 17th after race 3. They were 18th overall after two races. Race 4 starts in a while...

10:00 (IST)28 Jul 2021
Cycling: A redemption story for ages!

Cycling road racer Annemiek van Vleuten has a CV filled with injury. She's torn her anterior cruciate ligament (2015), needed surgery on her collarbone (2012), had knee problems (2018) and required surgery to fix artery stenosis in 2011 — which did not go well and a follow-up surgery was needed two years later. Even her Rio Olympic campaign — in the search for a first medal at her second Olympics — a crash left her with a concussion and three spinal fractures. She's been so used to injuries now, that when she broke her wrist, which later required surgery, during an event in Italy last year, she got back to racing just nine days later and won silver at the 2020 World Championships. Now 38, she's picked up her first Olympic medal, a silver, in the road race. On Wednesday, she won gold in the time trial. The suffering was worth it after all.

09:50 (IST)28 Jul 2021
ICYMI | Indian Express vlog straight outta Tokyo!
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On Tuesday morning, a storm that swirled towards Japan finally ended up skirting Tokyo. But at the Olympics, the Indian shooting camp found itself at the centre of a different storm of its own. On a day when the shooters were reasonably confident of winning at least one medal but ended with none, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh took aim at the coaching staff and pointed to why India missed the target by such a wide margin.

He said there would be an overhaul of coaching staff, highlighted the internal wrangling within the team and warned that no one was indispensable — even himself, although he cheekily added that he felt “less responsible” for the below-par performances.

“We are going to see an overhaul of the Indian coaching staff for sure. Everybody will be evaluated… You think it is only the athlete who will be evaluated? Even I will be evaluated as president of the NRAI. No one is indispensable,” Singh said after another medal-less day for India at shooting.

“I am consciously aware that I have done everything that is humanly possible. That’s why I feel a little less responsible this time. But, it’s my team,” he said.

Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary during the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Tokyo Olympics. (PTI)

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