In the women’s individual archery quarter-finals, Deepika Kumari, an Indian archer’s journey at the Paris Olympics 2024 has come to an end in a hard-fought match against South Korea’s Nam Su-hyeon. The competition was held at Les Invalides which ended with a score of 6-4 favoring Nam Su-hyeon. In her previous competitions earlier in the day, Kumari defeated Germany’s Michelle Kroppen by 6-4 in the round of 16 and showcased her exceptional skills which secured her place in the quarter-finals. However, while facing the 19-year-old Nam Su-hyeon, was a challenging task. Nam Su-hyeon had previously claimed a gold medal in the women’s team event at these Olympic events.
Nam Su-hyeon displayed remarkable precision and consistency throughout the match. She had also set an Olympic record of 2046 in the women’s team ranking and achieved a personal best total of 688. Despite Deepika Kumari’s strong performance, she ultimately got defeated which concluding her campaign in Paris. Although Kumari lost the match which marked the end of Kumari’s individual event at the Olympics, her performance remains commendable, adding to her legacy as one of India’s leading archers. Deepika pushed the second-seeded South Korean to five sets, with scores of 28-26, 25-28, 29-28, 27-29, and 27-29, but ultimately fell short of securing a spot in the semifinals.
Thrilling Archery Match Sees Deepika Kumari and Nam Su-hyeon Battle to a Tie
Nam Su-hyeon started off in pristine fashion, scoring a perfect 10 with her first shot to get going. Deepika Kumari posted a strong set of 9,10,9 to end strong with 28 points and gain the initial edge over the South Korean player, who put up 26. Deepika, after gaining first two point of the match, confidently marched onwards in the second set to hit the bullseye. But as she misses her aim, she got just 6 points on her second. This made Nam to win the second set 28-25, tying the match at 2-2.
Both archers began the third set with a 10 and 9 each. Deepika got the bullseye and gained over Nam by 29-28 and came closer to victory at 4-2. Nam tried to tie the match and made another perfect shot scoring 10, which was also then achieved by the Indian archer. But due to a loose arrow which made Deepika deviate from her target and scored 8 in her second shot. This final shot made the score to fall to a 27-29, and she got defeated by Nam. Each player had one last set to play as both were tied at 4-4.
Nam’s strong opening habit of scoring 10 continued and the South Korean player took the early lead. With one shot left and a 10 needed for Nam to secure the win, she found the bullseye by millimetres, which defeated Deepika in the last set to win the match 6-4.
Deepika Kumari is a seasoned archer from India, but had to face a disappointing defeat in the quarterfinals of the women’s individual event at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. She lost 4-6 to Nam Su-hyeon of Korea, marking the end of her journey in the competition. Earlier that day, Deepika had secured her spot in the quarterfinals by winning over Germany’s Michelle Kroppen with a score of 6-4. However, she failed to replicate her previous win against the young Korean archer.
Deepika’s Narrow Defeat to Nam and Criticism in the Team Event
Deepika had triumphed over the 19-year-old Nam in straight sets during their semifinal encounter, in April 2024, at the Shanghai World Cup and earned a silver medal. However, Unfortunately she was unable to deliver a similar performance on this crucial occasion of Olympics. Nam and Deepika were locked in a tight battle, with an even score at 4-4 after the completion of four sets. However, Nam’s unwavering precision proved to be the deciding factor, as she secured victory in the fifth set, earning her a spot in the semifinals.
Deepika also faced criticism for her subpar performance in the team event, yet she struggled to maintain consistency throughout the match. Her scores of six in the second set and seven in the fourth set were major setbacks that ultimately led to her defeat. The 30-year-old Indian athlete scored 28-26 in the first set, earning two points. She followed up with scores of 10, 6, and 9, but South Korea’s Nam levelled the match by winning the second set 28-25.
Deepika took the lead again by winning the third set 29-28 with two perfect 10s. However, in the fourth set, she scored 10, 7, and 10, resulting in a 27-29 loss. In the final fifth set, Deepika scored three consecutive 9s, but the Korean competitor secured the win with scores of 10, 9, and 10.
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