Paris, Aug 31 Sheetal Devi lost to Tokyo silver medallist Mariana Zuniga by one point in the women’s compound open category 1/8 elimination round at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Saturday.
In a closely contested 1/8 elimination round, Sheetal Devi fell just short of advancing to the quarterfinals, losing to Tokyo silver medallist Mariana Zuniga by a razor-thin margin of 137-138. Despite her impressive performance, where she secured a personal best score of 703 in the qualification round, Sheetal was unable to overcome the determined Zuniga, who edged her out by a single point.
Sheetal, who had qualified second, was competing fiercely, but her efforts were not enough to overturn Zuniga's superior form on the day. The Indian archer’s qualification performance was notable, particularly given that she came just a point behind the top seed, Oznur Cure of Turkiye, who set a new world record with a score of 704.
Sarita, who made it to the quarterfinals earlier faced a formidable opponent in top seed Oznur Cure. Despite a valiant effort, Sarita was defeated 140-145 after five intense ends. Sarita finished with a score of 682, which, though strong, was insufficient against Cure's world-class performance.
In a noteworthy highlight, Sheetal Devi and Sarita set significant records earlier in the competition. Sheetal's qualification score of 703 was a personal best and highlighted her growing prowess.
Amidst the individual disappointments, there is still hope for India in the mixed-team compound open category. Sheetal Devi, teaming up with Rakesh Kumar, has kept the country’s medal prospects alive. The duo broke the ranking round world record with a remarkable combined score of 1399.
As the top-seeded team, they are set to face the winner of the match between Indonesia and Iraq in the quarterfinals on September 2.
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