0025 hrs: Jitu Rai was way off the mark in the men’s 10m Air Pistol final, finishing a lowly eighth to bow out of the competition.
Rai, bronze medalist at Incheon Asian Games in the event in 2014, shot an overall 78.7 to finish eighth in the field of eight finalists to become the first shooter to crash out of the final round.
2247 hrs: Jitu Rai qualifies for the finals in the 10m air pistol event with his score of 98 in the final series. He is placed at 7th with a total of 580/600.
The results:
1. Pang Wei (China) 590 points 2. Jin Jongoh (Korea) 584 3. Juraj Tuzinsky (Slovakia) 582 4. Hoang Xuan Vinh (Vietnam) 581 5. Giuseppe Giordano (Italy) 580 6. Jitu Rai (India) 580 7. Felipe Wu (Brazil) 580 8. Vladimir Gontcharov (Russia) 580
2226 hrs: After the 4th series, Gurpreet moves five places up to 25 after shooting 99, Rai is now at 11 after shooting 96.
2222 hrs: In shooting, after the 3rd series, Jitu Rai has moved to 8th place after shooting 98 and Gurpreet Singh with his 93 is now at 30th.
2155 hrs: In Table Tennis, Manika Batra put up a good fight before going down to her 60th-ranked Polish rival Katarzyna Franc-Grzybowska 2-4 (12-10 6-11 12-14 11-8 4-11 12-14 in 48 minutes in another preliminary round clash.
2115 hrs: Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna, meanwhile, will have no more to offer to Rio 2016. They crash out 6-4. 7-6 (8-6) to Polish pair M. Matkowski and Ł. Kubot.
2107 hrs: And India make it past the finish line, with some stodgy defence.
2101 hrs: And a penalty corner here for Ireland. Will they equalise?
2059 hrs: And Conor Harte says Ireland may be down but not out, drag-flicks it past Sreejesh to make the score 3-2! Can India hold on for 5 more minutes?
2047 hrs: And Rupinder strikes again in men's Hockey! His straight drag catches the defender's leg, shoots up to the bar and lands within the goal. India leads 3-1 now, with 12 minutes remaining.
2040 hrs: And table tennis veteran Mouma Das now crashes out losing to higher-ranked Romanian Daniela Dodean Monteiro, in the first round of the women’s singles. World No.150 Das failed to put up much of a fight against her 58th-ranked opponent losing 2—11, 7—11, 7—11, 2—11. Das had qualified for her second Olympics after making the debut in Athens 12 years ago.
India's Mouma Das, ranked 150th in Women's Table Tennis. ~ Photo: M. Moorthy Later today, Olympic debutant Manika Batra will have to produce something special to get the better of 60th-ranked Katarzyna Franc-Grzybowska.
In the men’s singles, Sharath Kamal and Soumyajit Ghosh will play their first round matches later in the day.
2040 hrs: And Rio 2016 has its first Gold. American Virginia Thrasher beats the field in Women's 10m Rifle.
2039 hrs: And Ireland has got one on the board, thanks to J Jermyn, in the second third Quarter. India leads 2-1 .
Meanwhile, in tennis...
Paes-Bopanna 4-6, 1-1... Second set they have to win. >#Rio2016
— Extrasolar Planet (@PoetAstronomer) >August 6, 2016
Polish pair have broken back. We are on serve at 3-3 in first set of men's doubles >#tennis>#RioOlympics2016
— Mihir Vasavda (@mihirsv) >August 6, 2016
2007 hrs: And India extends its lead to 2-0 , as Rupinder Pal drag-flicks it past Harte.
Indian Hockey players celebrate a goal against Ireland during the Olympic 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, on Saturday. 1957 hrs: Nikkin receives a long-lob, dribbles and lobs past goalie Harte from the left side, but Ramandeep Singh unable to deflect it in.
1948 hrs: And India opens its account after three failed penalty corners in the last five minutes. Raghunath Vikkaliga shoots past Irish goalie Harte with his trademark drag-flick.
1926 hrs: India is taking on Ireland now in Men's Field Hockey . P Sreejesh will lead a 5th-ranked Indian side, sans skilled midfielder Gurbaj Singh, against the 12th-ranked side led by David Harte. Gurbaj was reportedly dropped because of "indiscipline" and "creating disharmony".
Gurbaj Singh was dropped for India's opening hockey match, against Ireland, in the 2016 Olympics Games, in Rio de Janeiro, on Saturday. ~ Photo: Getty Images In case you were wondering, Hungary and Serbia finished their Water Polo match tied at 13-13, after Serbia equalised with four seconds till the final whistle!
1752 hrs: And a tragic start for Indian shooting. Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul both fail to progress in the Women's 10m Rifle , crashing out of the Rio Olympics. Chandela shot an overall 411.6 to finish 34th out 51 competitors while Paul finishes further down in 47th place with a total score of 403. The two 23-year-olds had won the gold and silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul failed to progress beyond the first round in the Women's 10m Rifle event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. China’s Li Du topped the qualification with 420.7, setting up an Olympic record in the process.
The other other seven shooters who qualify for the final are Barbara Engleder of Germany, Elaheh Ahmadi of Iran, Daria Vdovina of Russia, Virgina Thrasher of USA, Snjezana Pejcic of Poland and Siling Yi of China.
Meanwhile, some sharp-shooters on Twitter...
Wife: it'd be sort of embarrassing if Americans didn't win shooting. >#RioOlympics2016
— T.M. Thomas (@tmthomas) >August 6, 2016
Disappointing end to the Womens 10m Air Rifle- Apurvi Chandela & Ayonika Paul finish 34th & 43rd respectively >#RioOlympics2016>#IND
— Aniket Mishra (@aniketmishra299) >August 6, 2016
1746 hrs: The Hungarians have taken the lead, 5-3. with a powerful shoot.
1736 hrs: Serbia and Hungary are having it out in Water Polo . It's 3-3 at the moment. The Hungarians have seemed the more aggressive so far, defensively and offensively.
Meanwhile, Alan Campbell, who became the first Briton in 2012 to win an Olympic medal in men's singles scull since 1928, is rowing in the fourth heat.
Alan Campbell of Great Britain during the second heat of the Men's Single Sculls on Day 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Lagoa Stadium on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ~ Photo: Getty Images 1727 hrs: Hannes Obreno of Belgium wins the third heat in Men's Rowing (single sculls). A single scull is a thin, sharp-hulled rowing boat that is operated by a rower using an oar, attached to the boat by an anchor, in each hand.
1722 hrs: And India gets its first success. Rower Dattu Baban Bhokanal qualifies for the quarterfinal, winning the first Heat with a timing of 7:21.67.
Dattu Baban Bhokanal competes in the Men's Single Sculls first heat, at Lagoa Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday. ~ Photo: Reuters ---------------------------------------------------
Brazil showcased its rich history and cultural heritage, combined with Rio’s famous ’Samba’ dance, as the 31st Olympic Games was officially launched with a subtle yet powerful message of global warming plaguing the world in a glittering opening ceremony.
In an spectacular yet inexpensive ceremony, the entire field was given over to a show of colour, pomp and symbolism. An array of simultaneous art performances and displays of ethnic splendour amid a dazzling canopy of shimmering laser beams.
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After the formal declaration of the Games, Brazilian 2004 Athens Olympics marathon bronze winner Vanderlei de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron after former tennis World No. 1 and three-time French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten brought the torch into the arena to the thunderous applause of spectators.
We have number of events lined up for today. Here's India's schedule:
Men's hockey | 7. 30 p.m. | India vs. Ireland |
Rowing | 5.00 p.m. | Men’s Single Sculls (Dattu Bhokanal Single) |
Shooting | 5.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. | 10m Air Pistol: (Jitu Rai, Gurpreet Singh) |
Table Tennis | 5.30 p.m. | Men’s Singles (Achantha Sharath Kamal, Soumyajit Ghosh) |
Tennis | 11.00 p.m. | Men’s Doubles: Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna |
Weightlifting | 3.30 a.m. (August 7) | Women: Saikhom Mirabi Chanu 48kg |
Indian athletes look to start Rio campaign on a positive note
Shooting
Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul open India’s campaign in shooting at the Deodoro Range, a military base. Apurvi, a World Cup silver-medallist and one of the four Indian shooters to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has been trained by the seasoned Stanislas Lapidus. Ayonika has benefited from the expertise of the Olympic finalist and former World record holder Suma Shirur.
On Saturday afternoon, it will be Jitu Rai and Gurpreet Singh in air pistol. Jitu, a man with the golden arm, has insisted that he was aiming for the gold in the Olympics. He is simple and shoots straight.
Tennis
Leander Paes, the only player to represent his country in seven Olympic Games, and Rohan Bopanna, playing his second, open against Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski of Poland in the first round.
Paes and Bopanna figure in the top quarter with No.1 seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France.
Hockey
Clubbed with the Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Ireland and Canada in group-B, Indian men’s team would be keen to start well against Ireland and step it up against Germany, Argentina, the Netherlands and Canada in that order over the next seven days. The Indian team, guided efficiently by Roelant Oltmans, has been positive and has the backing of the entire nation.
