India’s campaign at Paris Olympics concludes with total of six medals

India’s campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics officially concluded yesterday, the penultimate day of competition, with a total of six medals.

Wrestler Reetika Hooda, the last Indian athlete in action, exited the women’s 76 kg event after a quarter-final loss, while golfers Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar finished well out of medal contention.

Reetika Hooda started strong with a win over Hungary’s Bernadett Nagy but lost her quarter-final match to Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy by a tie-breaker rule, despite a 1-1 score. Kyzy’s subsequent loss in the semi-finals ended Hooda’s hopes of securing a bronze medal through repechage.

Aman Sehrawat’s bronze in the men’s 57 kg event remains India’s only wrestling medal and the sixth overall in the Paris Games, which include one silver and five bronze medals.

In golf, Aditi Ashok, who was tied for 14th after the second round, finished 29th with a final-round score of four-under-par 68. Diksha Dagar ended in 49th place with a total score of 14-over 301.

Paris Olympics 2024 Closing Ceremony to take place tonight at Stade de France

The Paris Olympics 2024 will officially come to an end with the Closing Ceremony tonight at Stade de France. The ceremony will begin at 00:30 hrs IST with around 80,000 spectators.

The name given to the Closing Ceremony is ‘Records’, which will include the celebration of the success and achievements of the athletes, along with several artistic performances by prominent actors and artists.

For India, two-time Olympic medallists PR Sreejesh and Manu Bhaker have been chosen as the flag-bearers for the Parade of Nations during the ceremony. Sreejesh, who is known as the ‘Wall of India’ for his exceptional goal-keeping skills retired from Hockey after winning the Bronze medal in this edition of the Games.

Bhaker made history by becoming the first Indian athlete in the history of independent India to win two medals in a single edition of the Games. In the Closing Ceremony, the Olympic Flame will also be extinguished and the Olympic Flag will be transferred to the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee, marking the transition to the next Summer Games.