Tokyo: Indian archer Rakesh Kumar narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot in the men’s individual compound event at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics, losing 143-145 against China’s Ai Xinliang on Tuesday.
In the quarter-finals, Kumar gave a close fight in all five rounds, but the Chinese archer didn’t let the Indian athlete get past him. The Indian athlete began with a 29 in the first round, but Xinliang responded with a 30 in the same essay to seize the lead.
The Chinese athlete subsequently maintained his lead throughout the game and Kumar was eliminated from the showpiece event with a score of 143-145.
Kumar had won his 1/8 elimination match against Marian Marecak of Slovakia 140-137 earlier in the day. He got out to a slow start and trailed until the second round, finishing with a total score of 53.
The Indian archer, on the other hand, launched a comeback to grab an 81-80 lead. He then maintained his excellent form in the final two rounds, shooting wonderfully to win the game.
