Badminton: Sai Praneeth out of Tokyo Olympics 2020 after second defeat in Group D match

India's B Sai Praneeth crashed out of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on Wednesday following his second defeat in the Group D match. Sai Praneeth lost to Netherlands' Mark Caljouw 21-14, 21-14, thereby ending India's hopes of winning a medal in men's badminton. India continue to search for the elusive second medal, after Mirabai Chanu had given the Nation a great start by winning a silver medal in the 49kg weightlifting event on Day 2.

Sai Praneeth crashes out of Tokyo Olympics

Sai Praneeth's dismal run at the Tokyo Olympics continued as he lost to both shuttlers ranked lower than him. Israel's Misha Zilberman, ranked 47, beat him 21-17, 21-15 in the first match. Meanwhile, Mark Caljouw is ranked 29 in comparison to Sai Praneeth, who is ranked 15.

Meanwhile, Team India's contingent displayed some excellent performances in other events. Reigning women's world number one in archery, Deepika Kumari, beat Bhutan's Karma 6-4 to progress to the Round of 16. As for boxing, Pooja Rani sailed through to the quarterfinals after she defeated Algeria's Ichrak Chaib 5-0 in the Round of 16 in the middleweight (69-75 kg) category. The Indian boxer managed to win all 10 points from all the five judges on the panel in the three rounds.

Mirabai Chanu India's sole medal winner at Tokyo Olympics

Hopes are not yet over from India's badminton contingent as PV Sindhu cruised to the Round of 16 earlier in the day. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu opened India's medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by winning a silver medal in the women's 49 kg category. Mirabai finished the event with a total lift of 202 kg (87 kg in snatch and 115 kg in clean and jerk). Meanwhile, China's Hoi Zhuhui won the gold medal with a total lift of 210 kgs (94kg in snatch and 116 kg in clean and jerk), which is also a new Olympic record.