Day 5 of the 2024 Paris Olympics was an absolute rollercoaster for Indian fans, with stunning performances from stars like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Lovlina Borgohain, and Sreeja Akula. Here’s a recap of the day's electrifying moments!

Equestrian: Anush Agarwalla trotted into the history books as the first Indian to compete in Olympic Dressage. Riding his horse, Sir Caramello Old, Anush scored 66.444% and finished ninth in Group E of the dressage individual grand prix qualifiers. Just last year, he clinched a bronze medal at the Asian Games!

IC: Hangzhou 2022

Rowing: Balraj Tanwar rowed his heart out, making it to the final D of the men’s singles C/D. While a medal is out of reach, Balraj still has a chance to finish strong in the classification event on Friday.

IC: ANI

Badminton: PV Sindhu was in her element, sweeping aside Estonia’s Kristin Kuuba with a commanding 21-5, 21-10 victory in the round of 32. Sindhu, with a silver medal from 2016 and a bronze from 2020, is eyeing yet another medal in 2024. 

And then there was Lakshya Sen, who delivered a jaw-dropping performance against third-seed Jonatan Christie. The 22-year-old became the first Indian man to reach the Olympic knockouts in eight years, defeating Christie 21-18, 21-12. And that magical shot he played? SEN-sational!

ic: Sports18

It's going to be India vs India in the pre-quarter-finals! HS Prannoy triumphed over Vietnam's Le Duc Phat with a thrilling 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 victory. Despite dropping the first set, Prannoy bounced back with dominant performances in the next two sets, securing his spot as the group winner. The stage is set for an exciting all-Indian showdown!

Shooting: Swapnil Kusale made his Olympic debut in style, qualifying for the finals in the men’s 50m 3P and finishing seventh with a score of 590-38x. While Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar ended up 11th, Swapnil’s performance gives us hope for a possible medal!

IC: Sportstar

It was a tough day for Rajeshwari Kumari and Shreyasi Singh in the women’s trap qualification round. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t make it to the final, scoring 113 out of 125 points collectively. 

Table Tennis: Sreeja Akula celebrated her birthday with a smashing victory against Singapore’s Zeng Jian. India’s top-ranked singles player won 9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, and qualified for the pre-quarterfinals. The match was a nail-biter, but Sreeja came out on top to give herself the perfect birthday gift.

IC: Sportskeeda

Manika Batra's Olympic journey came to an end after a tough 4-1 loss to Japan’s Miu Harano in the women’s singles round of 16. Despite the defeat, Manika made history by becoming the first Indian table tennis singles player to reach the pre-quarterfinals in Olympic history. Her groundbreaking performance will be remembered as a significant milestone for Indian table tennis.

Sreeja Akula's campaign came to an end in the women’s round of 16 after a tough match against China’s Sun Yingsha. Despite the loss, Sreeja made history as the second Indian table tennis player to reach the pre-quarterfinals at the Olympics.

Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain kicked off her Paris Olympics 2024 campaign with a bang, defeating Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad 5-0 in the women’s 75kg round of 16 bout. Lovlina, the Asian Games silver medalist, is now through to the quarterfinals.

Nishant Dev couldn't have asked for a better Olympic debut! He triumphed over Ecuador’s Jose Gabriel Rodriguez Tenorio with a thrilling 3:2 victory in the men’s 71kg round of 16 bout. Now, the two-time National Champion is just one win away from securing a medal. What an incredible start to his Olympic journey!

Archery: Deepika Kumari made a spectacular comeback after a disappointing team event, advancing to the round of 16. The former world number one defeated Dutch archer Quinty Roeffen 6-2, showing why she’s such a formidable competitor. 

Tarundeep Rai had a challenging day in the men’s individual round of 64, where he was defeated by Tom Hall from Great Britain. This marked Rai’s fourth Olympic appearance, having previously competed in Athens 2004, London 2012, and Tokyo 2020. Despite the setback, Rai's illustrious career includes a silver medal from the 2010 Asian Games, cementing his status as a seasoned and accomplished archer.

From magical moments in badminton to thrilling victories in boxing and table tennis, Day 5 was packed with excitement and unforgettable performances. Here's to more fantastic feats in the days ahead!