Indian Athletes Shine at Paris Olympics: Victories in Badminton, Table Tennis and Shooting

Indian duo Rankireddy-Shetty start Paris Olympics strong, overcoming French pair in badminton. Table tennis player Harmeet Desai advances, shuttler Lakshya Sen secures victory. Shooter Manu Bhaker qualifies for final in women's 10m air pistol. Celebrations anticipated if medals are won.

After launching their Paris Olympics campaign with a win, the Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have filled their country with pride. According to Chirag's father, Chandrasekhar Shetty, the collective joy of the nation mirrors his own. The pair secured victory against France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in straight sets, 21-17, 21-14, during the men’s doubles Group C match.

The Indian team dispatched the French duo in 46 minutes. Despite significant support from the home crowd, Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar couldn't overcome the skill of Rankireddy and Shetty. Chandrasekhar Shetty expressed aspirations for a medal, promising celebrations upon achieving this feat. Next, the pair will face Germany's Marvin Seidel and Mark Lamsfuss on July 29.

India's Olympic contingent consists of 117 athletes competing across 16 disciplines. The Games, starting on July 26 and concluding on August 11, see India aiming to surpass its 2020 Tokyo tally of seven medals, which includes one gold, two silver, and four bronze. Harmeet Desai advanced to the Round of 64 in men’s singles table tennis by defeating Jordan’s Zaid Abo Yaman 4-0. Fellow athlete Lakshya Sen triumphed over Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in the badminton men’s singles Group L match.

In shooting, Manu Bhaker excelled in the women's 10-meter air pistol qualifier, securing a final spot by finishing third with a total of 580-27x points. Her teammate, Rhythm Sangwan, fell short, finishing 15th with 573-14x points. In the men's 10m air pistol event, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema failed to qualify for the final rounds, finishing 9th and 18th, respectively. (ANI)