1) Bajrang Punia to contest for bronze after losing the semi final to Haji Aliyev from Azerbaijan

Bajrang Punia advanced to the quarter-finals with a point margin. Ernazar Akmataliev added two with two pushouts after falling behind 1-3. The game ended 3-3, but Bajrang won due to a high-scoring move (2-pointer) late in the game.

The Indian wrestler progressed to the semifinals of the Men’s Freestyle 65kg quarterfinals after defeating Morteza Ghiasi Cheka from Iran. The Indian started off strongly, but was given a warning by the referee to not attack before being given his second passivity charge and the Indian trailed 1-0. However, the former World Number 1 made a stunning comeback by pinning down Morteza Ghiasi Cheka to win by fall.

India's major hopes for a medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Bajrang Punia missed a chance to play the gold medal match. Punia lost the 65 kg freestyle category semi-final to Haji Aliyev from Azerbaijan.

Bajrang Punia was dominated by his opponent throughout the match as he lost 12-5. The Indian wrestler did take the first point but was trailing by points for the rest of the game. The three-time world champion proved to be too strong for Bajrang Punia. 

2) Indian golfer Aditi Ashok holds 2nd spot in Round 3 at the Tokyo Olympics

Aditi Ashok continued her fine form at the Tokyo Olympics as she carded a three-under 67 to remain in a strong position to get India’s maiden Olympic medal in golf. After three rounds, Aditi was 12-under 201 and is the only golfer in the 2nd position, three strokes apart from leader Nelly Korda of the United States who carded two-under 69 in the second last round. This is a significant improvement in Aditi’s performance before her debut Olympic Games in Rio where she finished tied 41st.

3) Seema Bisla faces opening bout exit in 50 kg freestyle category

Bisla was on the back foot throughout the game. Her opponent was awarded a point due to the passivity of the Indian wrestler. Entering the second round down by a point, Bisla tried to grab hold of Hamdi's legs to no avail and was sent out of bounds. Seema Bisla did get a point back to make it 2-1 with a minute to go. Her efforts were subdued when Hamdi got another point. The bout ended 3-1 in favour of the Tunisian.

Seema Bisla's qualification in itself was an achievement as no one expected her to make it to Tokyo. She managed to book her ticket to Tokyo at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria in May 2021. There is still a chance for Seema to win a bronze medal via the repechage round if Sarra Hamdi makes it to the final.

4) Heartbreak for Indian women’s hockey team as Great Britain emerge victorious in a 7 Goal thriller

The Indian women’s hockey team fought bravely right from the start but their opponents played even more fiercely to finish third in the Tokyo Olympics. The defending champions beat India 4-3 in a nail biting encounter as both the teams were going head to head till the final whistle. In the first quarter neither of the teams found the net, the second quarter saw plenty of action as five goals were scored between the teams. Britain started off with a goal in the second quarter  as Elena Sian Rayer scored in the 16th minute and eight minutes later extended the lead with another goal in the 24th minute by Sarah Robertson.

The Indians fought back with a goal the very next minute as Gurjit Kaur scored from a penalty corner shot and in the 26th minute leveled the scores. In the 29th minute, Vandana Katariya scored to give her team instant inspiration as the Indians came back from a two goal deficit and were now leading as the second quarter came to an end. In the third quarter Hollie Pearne-Webb scored in the 35th minute as the scores were once again leveled and in the final quarter Grace Balsdon scored in the 48th minute off a penalty corner shot to take home the Bronze medal. 

5) Heat and humidity take its toll as Gurpreet Singh fails to finish Men’s 50 km race walk

Race walker Gurpreet Singh endured a disappointing start to his Olympic ambitions as the Indian was forced to drop out of the race as he was cramping due to heat and humidity. Singh was in the 49th position at the halfway point of 25 km with a time of 2:01:54.

6) Indian Women finish 17th and 32nd in 20km Race Walk at the Tokyo Olympics

Priyanka Goswami and Bhawna Jat competed in the Women's 20km Race Walk in the Tokyo Olympics. Priyanka was on the top until the 8km mark but finished 17th with a timing of 1:32:36 and Bhawna finished 32nd with a timing of 1:37:38. Antonella Palmisano of Italy finished 1st with a timing of 1:29:12, Sandra Arenas of Colombia finished 2nd with a timing of 1:29:37 and the winner in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Liu Hong from China finished third with a timing of 1:29:57.

India was fielding two debutants in the race today and Bhawna is a former national record holder while Priyanka is the current national record holder. Representation in Athletics has gone way up in this year’s Olympics and with only two days to go there are still a handful of Indians left in the competition.

7) India break Asian record, but fall out of the running for Men's 4x400m relay

India ran the race in the second lane. The first lap was run by Anas, second Noah, Arokia completed the third lap, Amoj Jacob the fourth. Amoj Jacob had a fantastic run. By the end, the sprinter pulled ahead of the middle of the group. India came in fourth place. Amoj Jacob put in an impressive final lap. With a time of 3:00.25, India finished fourth in their heat. They did not make it, but only by the tiniest of margins.

India has set a new Asian record with their timing. They came in ninth place overall. Missing out on the final by less than a second was heartbreaking. A fantastic but painful performance from the Indian men's quartet of Muhammed Anas, Nirmal Noah Tom, Arokia Rajiv, and Amoj Jacob, who placed fourth in the 4X400m relay (Heat 2) in 3 minutes 00.25 seconds, setting a new Asian mark. They came in ninth place overall, just missing out on a spot in the final.

What to look forward to for tomorrow

India will be competing in three medal events tomorrow. We can expect young Indian golfer Aditi Ashok to finish on the podium after an impressive performance in the last 3 days where she managed to maintain a higher rank than some of the biggest names in the sport.

Bajrang Punia will be competing for a Bronze medal in wrestling against someone who is yet to be determined. We can expect to see an entertaining and suspenseful performance by the two. Afterall only one of them will walk away from the fight with a medal. 

India’s favourite javelin thrower and medal hopeful Neeraj Chopra will be at the top of his game as he has shown great potential in the qualifying rounds. Tomorrow is the much awaited medal event for the game and it is safe to say India has its eyes set on Gold.

Tomorrow will undoubtedly be an action packed day. Will India breach its all the time high medal tally? Only time will tell if the odds are in our favor.

Also read: Day 14: India’s medal haul increases with a silver and bronze on a day of mixed fortunes