NEW DELHI: India has secured men's and women's team quotas in archery for this year's Paris Olympics based on the World Archery rankings updated on Monday.
India topped the rankings among the non-qualified nations in both men's and women's sections to seal their team quotas. Consequently, India will be eligible to compete in all five medal events in Paris - men's and women's teams, individual, and mixed categories.
In the men's section, India and China made the cut, while in the women's section, Indonesia was the second nation to secure the team Olympic quota. The team events will feature 12 sides in each section, while five teams will compete in the mixed competitions.
For the first time, team quotas are offered to the top two nations after the three-leg Olympic qualifiers. The first Olympic Qualifier was held during the World Archery Championships in Berlin last year, where South Korea, Turkey, and Japan qualified in the men's category, while Germany and Mexico secured their spots in the women's division.
The second leg was a continental qualifier. Kazakhstan and South Korea took the men's and women's team quotas respectively from the Asian leg, while Colombia and the United States made the cut from Pan America. From the European leg, Italy (men) and the Netherlands (women) secured quotas.
The final Olympic Qualifier was held in Antalya last week. Mexico, Chinese Taipei, and Great Britain secured quotas in the men's section, while China, Malaysia, Great Britain, and Chinese Taipei secured quotas in the women's section.
Forty-year-old Army veteran Tarundeep Rai, who made his Olympic debut at Athens 2004, will make his fourth Games appearance. The same applies to former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari, who will compete in her fourth Olympics on the trot, having made her maiden Games appearance in London 2012.
Dhiraj Bommadevara, Ankita Bhakat, and Bhajan Kaur will make their Olympic debuts, while for Pravin Jadhav, it will be his second successive Games after Tokyo.
India Squad:
Men: Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Pravin Jadhav.
Women: Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur, and Ankita Bhakat.
