The Indian archery contingent is buzzing with excitement after securing men’s and women’s team quotas for the Paris Olympics, a feat achieved for only the third time in 12 years. This represents a significant moment for Indian archery, as the country has yet to claim a single Olympic medal in this sport. The archers have been rigorously training and participating in numerous competitions, culminating in impressive results. Both the men’s and women’s teams secured team medals at the Asian Games in October, and they have consistently delivered strong performances in the World Cup stages. While India missed out on team quotas during the qualifiers, they secured their berths through world rankings, a testament to their consistent success in elite events.
The Indian team will field a formidable force of six athletes in individual competitions, with an additional three teams competing in men’s, women’s, and mixed events. The recent form of the Indian recurve archers is promising, with medals secured in two out of the three World Cup stages this year. The men’s team, led by Olympic debutant B. Dhiraj, seasoned veteran Tarundeep Rai (competing in his fourth Olympics), and Pravin Jadhav (in his second Olympics), exudes confidence and a noticeably refined approach to this prestigious event. Dhiraj’s average arrow score stands at 9.4, with Rai and Jadhav averaging 9.3 and 9.2 respectively. This season, all three archers have achieved career-best scores in the qualification round, with Dhiraj scoring 693, Rai at 684, and Jadhav achieving 676 out of a possible 720. Although these scores are impressive, the archers remain focused on refining their accuracy for greater consistency. Their upset victory over the world champion Korean team in the World Cup Stage-1 final in Shanghai earlier this year showcases their capability to compete with the best in the world. Dhiraj further added a bronze medal in the individual and mixed team (with Bhajan Kaur) categories in the World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya. Armed with vast experience and unwavering determination to rewrite Indian archery’s disappointing Olympic history, the men’s team has identified their challenges and is meticulously strategizing to achieve a different outcome at this Olympics.
The women’s team, led by the seasoned Deepika Kumari (making her fourth Olympic appearance after a remarkable comeback following the birth of her daughter two years ago), and accompanied by two debutants, Ankita Bhakat and Bhajan Kaur, is equally determined to showcase their prowess. Deepika Kumari, a former world number one, returned to the international arena after a 14-month hiatus following the birth of her first child in 2022. While the women archers’ individual statistics might not mirror those of the men, their recent successes offer encouragement. Deepika’s silver medal in Shanghai, Bhajan’s mixed team bronze with Dhiraj, and the women’s team and Ankita’s fourth-place finish in Antalya have instilled confidence in the team ahead of the Olympics. High-performance director Sanjeeva Singh stresses the importance of process and consistency. “We are telling them a medal is an outcome. You have to ensure 100 percent process efficiency,” he emphasizes, advising the archers to prioritize speed to minimize mental distractions.
The archers understand the significance of achieving high scores and securing top rankings in the qualification round. This will grant them favorable draws and avoid early encounters with formidable teams like Korea, Turkey, Japan, Chinese Taipei, France, Italy, and Mexico. India is particularly eyeing the team events, where 12 countries will compete in each gender and 16 in the mixed team category. The shorter draws in team events present a strategic advantage compared to the individual events, where 64 archers per gender will participate. Paris holds a special significance for Indian archers, as they have consistently won medals in every World Cup stage held in the French capital over the past three years. “We are not comfortable in strong windy conditions because of the poundage (of bows) we are using. But now the men’s poundage has increased considerably. We are shooting with bows weighing 48 to 52 pounds. But the women’s poundage is still less, 40 to 44. Luckily, in Paris, the wind will be similar to what we are practising with in Pune or Sonipat,” explains Sanjeeva. For the Indian archers, Paris presents a unique opportunity to break a 52-year jinx and etch their names in Olympic history.
The names to watch out for include: B. Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav, Bhajan Kaur, Deepika Kumari, and Ankita Bhakat. The Indian archery contingent is poised to take the world stage by storm in Paris, and the nation eagerly awaits their performance with bated breath.
