Indian Women's Archery Heartbreak: Shocking Loss to Ukraine in Olympic Qualifiers

The Indian women's recurve team, comprising Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur, and Ankita Bhakat, lost 3-5 to Ukraine in the pre-quarterfinals of the Final Olympic Qualifier. India's performance faltered despite holding a 3-1 lead. However, they still have a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics through rankings.

In a surprising turn of events, the Indian women's recurve archery team, led by Deepika Kumari, faced a staggering 3-5 defeat against lower-ranked Ukraine in the pre-quarterfinals of the Final Olympic Qualifier held on Friday.

Despite entering as the fifth seed and obtaining a bye into the pre-quarters, the team, comprising Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat alongside Kumari, needed just two wins to secure a team quota for the Paris Olympics. Unfortunately, their performance crumbled in the elimination round.

The Indian team, ranked world No. 8, squandered a 3-1 lead amidst a poor showing, particularly by the comparatively inexperienced Bhajan and Ankita. This defeat, however, doesn't entirely dim their Olympic prospects, as they can still qualify through their current world ranking of No. 8.

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