Indian mixed team archers lose semifinal, to play bronze medal playoff
Paris, Aug 2: The Indian mixed archery team of Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara crumbled under pressure going down 2-6 to mighty South Korea in the Olympic semifinals here on Friday but remained in the hunt for a historic bronze by entering the third-place play-off.
Dhiraj and Ankita lost 38-36 35-38 37-38 38-39 to their South Korean opponents Lim Sihyeon and Kim Woo-jin.
The duo, however, still has a chance of ending India's 36-year wait for an Olympic medal in archery. They will now compete in the bronze medal playoff in about an hour's time.
It was a poor start by Lim, who slipped to 8-point red ring and Kim also missed a 10, as India responded strongly with two 10s by Dhiraj while Ankita remained consistent with two 9s to take the opening set advantage against the world no.1 combination.
But the Koreans made a strong comeback with Kim drilling in two 10s to start the second set as Ankita dropped two points to begin with. The Koreans took the second set with a three-point margin and drew level
The Koreans continued in the same vein in the next two sets.
Earlier, the Indians came up with one of their most memorable performances to enter the semifinals, the country's first-ever at the Summer Games
They defeated Spain 5-3 (38-37 38-38 36-37 37-36).
Ankita, the 26-year-old Kolkatan, and young Dhiraj took the first set 38-37 to take a 2-0 lead with the duo firing two 10s and two 9s.
The fighting Spanish team of Elia Canales and Pablo Acha Gonzalez matched India in the second set by tying the scores at 38-all to share the points.
India's 3-1 advantage was neutralised in the third set following a below par 36, courtesy a poor shot which fetched the team an '8'.
However, in the fourth and last set, the Indians held their nerves to win the nerve-wracking contest 37-36 and notch two full points and secure a semifinal spot, their best ever showing in the quadrennial showpiece.
Earlier, the Indian recurve mixed team had produced an excellent performance to rally past Indonesia and enter the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics here on Friday.
The Indians notched a 5-1 (37-36 38-38 38-37) win over their Indonesian opponents Diananda Choirunisa and Arif Pangestu.
Dhiraj and Ankita consistently shot 9s and 10s.
However, Ankita upped her game, shooting 10s in her last three attempts to take the pair into the last eight stage, which will take place later in the day.
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Chamoli hydropower tunnel train collision: 88 injured, magisterial probe ordered
Gopeshwar/Dehradun (PTI): Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, which left 88 people injured.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said that the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday at the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) site inside the tunnel being built by THDC (India).
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
Upon receiving information about the collision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured. He spoke to the DM over the phone and instructed him to ensure that all the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
DM Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar met the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.
Kumar said 109 people were on board the loco train at the time of the accident, most of them labourers. None of the injured was serious, he said.
He said that 88 of them were injured, although none of them are in serious condition. They said that 84 workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four are still hospitalized.
DM Kumar and SP Panwar also inspected the project site and sought detailed information about the incident from the project officials.
They instructed them to strictly implement all necessary safety standards to prevent a recurrence of such an incident in the future.
After inspection, the DM issued orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident caused by the collision of the loco trains.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel. The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
According to officials, rail-like vehicles are used to transport workers, employees, and materials for construction work inside the tunnel.
The project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, will generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines. The project is targeted for completion by next year.
