India’s Rakesh Kumar came agonizingly close to securing a bronze medal in the men’s compound open category at the Paris Paralympics 2024, ultimately falling to China’s He Zihao by a single point. The Indian archer, who had qualified for the semifinals, faced a tough opponent in the form of another Chinese para archer, Ai Xinliang, losing to him 143-145. This narrow defeat set the stage for the bronze medal match, where Kumar unfortunately missed out on the podium by a single point.
The men’s compound open category witnessed a remarkable victory by American archer Matt Stutzman, aptly nicknamed the ‘Armless Archer.’ Stutzman, who claimed silver at the 2012 London Paralympics, defeated China’s Ai Xinliang 149-147 to secure his first Paralympic gold medal. This win also saw Stutzman break the Paralympic record of 148, which had been set by Zihao in Tokyo.
While Rakesh Kumar’s individual journey ended in a near-miss, he still has a chance to secure a medal in the mixed team compound open category. Partnering with Sheetal Devi, the duo set a new world record in the ranking round with a combined score of 1399. They are now poised to take on the winner of the match between Indonesia and Iraq in the quarterfinals on September 2.
