The Indian men’s hockey team lived up to the billing to secure a spot in the Olympic semifinals for the second consecutive edition, however, Lakshya Sen`s fervent bid for gold turned into a quest for bronze, marking a bittersweet Sunday for India in Paris. With no new medals added to the tally, India fell to 53rd place in the overall standings, holding on to its three bronze medals, all won in shooting (women`s 10m air pistol, 10m air pistol mixed team, and men`s 50m rifle 3 positions). 

Boxing added to the disappointment as Lovlina Borgohain, who had earned a bronze in Tokyo, was eliminated after a quarterfinal loss to China’s Li Qian in the women’s middleweight (75kg) category. Lovlina, the reigning world champion, lost 1-4 in a bout marred by frequent cautions for holding and clinching. Nishant Dev had already been eliminated in the men’s 71kg quarterfinals the previous night in a closely contested match.