Were Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar robbed of a gold medal at the Paralympics 2024?

India archers Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar went down in shoot-off after a dramatic semifinal clash against Iran's Fatemeh Hemmati and Hadi Nori in the mixed team compound open event at the Paris Paralympics here on Monday. The Indians looked on course to make the final but a remarkable Iranian rally and revision of score by a judge came in their way of scripting history. The match went into shoot-off after the scores were tied 152-152.

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Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar Lost in the Semi Final

It seemed like the Indians had won it after the Iranians shot a nine with their fourth arrow in the final end. However, much to the disappointment of the Indian duo, the target judge revised a shot of nine from Iran (their second arrow in the final end) to 10 after evaluation, taking the contest into shoot-off. Both the teams had perfect scores in shoot-off but Fatemeh's arrow hit the centre. Her shot was much closer to the bulls eye, paving the way for Iran's passage to the final.

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Were Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar Robbed off a Gold Medal at Paralympics 2024?

Indian fans who witnessed the drama unfold took to social media to complain about the incident and termed it as a "robbery." 

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Eventually a Podium Finish

The Indian duo of Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar staged a remarkable comeback after the heartbreak in the semifinals to claim the bronze medal with a close 156-155 win over Italy's Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina in the mixed team compound archery competition at the Paralympics here on Monday.

It is only the second time that India has won a medal in Paralympics in archery. Harvinder Singh bagged a bronze at the Tokyo edition of the Games three years ago.

India won after the 17-year-old Sheetal's shot was upgraded following a revision.

(With inputs from PTI)