Disappointing Day for Indian Athletes at the Paris Olympics

It was a tough day for Indian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with several competitors falling short of their goals. Annu Rani, the experienced javelin thrower and national record holder, struggled in her qualification round and failed to impress.

Opening her event with a throw of 55.81 meters, Annu couldn’t improve her distance in her next two attempts, measuring only 53.22 meters and 53.55 meters. This left her finishing 15th among 16 athletes in Group A and 26th overall.

Despite training abroad in preparation for the Olympics, Annu has faced challenges this season, having only hit over 60 meters twice in the last two years, with her best being 62.92 meters at the Asian Games.

In another not-so-great performance, Jyothi Yarraji, who was making her Olympic debut in the 100m hurdles, finished seventh in her heat with a time of 13.16 seconds. This put her in 35th place out of 40 runners overall.

World champion Danielle Williams topped her heat with a time of 12.59 seconds, while defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn led the overall qualifiers at 12.42 seconds. Jyothi’s efforts mean she will compete in the repechage round to try and earn a spot in the semifinals.

High jumper Sarvesh Anil Kushare also faced disappointment, finishing 13th in Group B with a jump of just 2.15 meters, well below his season’s best of 2.25 meters.

Earlier in the day, it was announced that the marathon race walk mixed relay team of Priyanka Goswami and Suraj Panwar did not finish their race. Goswami pulled out during the final leg, leaving the team in a difficult position at the 33.4-kilometer mark.

The mixed relay event, which covers a total distance of 42.195 kilometers, saw Spain’s Alvaro Martin and Maria Perez take home the gold as the first Olympic champions in this new event.