PARIS: As the Paris 2024 Olympics approach, Indian archers are preparing to aim for a historic milestone: their first-ever Olympic medal. The archers, a consistent presence at the Games since their debut in 1988, will commence their campaign with the qualification rounds at Les Invalides gardens on Thursday.
This year marks a significant change for Indian archery. For the first time since London 2012, India will field a full six-member squad, with both men's and women's teams having qualified based on their rankings. This allows them to compete in all five events.
Veteran archers Tarundeep Rai and Deepika Kumari, both appearing in their fourth Olympics, will lead their team. The focus for them and their young teammates will be to secure at least a top-10 finish in the qualification round to ensure a favorable draw for the knockout stages. Each archer will shoot 72 arrows, with the scores determining the seeds for the knockout competition, which begins with the women's team finals on Sunday.
The qualification round is critical for the Indians, who have historically struggled with seeding and have often been eliminated by top-ranked teams, particularly Korea. At the Tokyo Olympics, Indian male archers finished outside the top-30 and received the ninth seeding as a team. Deepika Kumari, the sole female archer at Tokyo, also ranked ninth and was eliminated by a top-seed Korean.
Despite these setbacks, the Indian archers have reason to be optimistic. The men’s team, which won a historic World Cup in Shanghai earlier this year by defeating Korea for the first time in a final, brings a wealth of experience. Rai, alongside Tokyo Olympian Pravin Jadhav and debutant Dhiraj Bommadevara, who recently secured a bronze medal at the World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya, promises a formidable challenge. Dhiraj, known for his composure, aims to overcome past disappointments and build on his success from the Asian Games.
Deepika Kumari, who made a stunning comeback to win a World Cup Stage-1 silver in Shanghai after becoming a mother, will be a key player. Although she faced challenges against Korean archers in Tokyo, there is hope that she can overcome her inconsistencies and achieve a breakthrough in Paris.
The women’s team, featuring Ankita Bhakat and Bhajan Kaur, will be competing in their Olympic debut. Bhakat, with her experience from previous World Cups and team medals, and Kaur, who has been a regular in this Olympic cycle, will draw inspiration from their past successes, including a bronze at the Asian Games.
However, the build-up to the Olympics has not been without controversy. The Indian archers' preparation was marred by the return of their foreign coach, Baek Woong Ki, who was unable to secure accreditation for the Games. This issue arose amidst a blame game between the Archery Association of India and the Indian Olympic Association. Despite this setback, the team will be supported by men's coach Sonam Singh Bhutia and women’s coach Purnima Mahato.
Historically, Indian archers have struggled to progress past the quarterfinals, with their best performance being at the Tokyo Olympics, where they fell at this stage in multiple events. The men's team finals are scheduled for Monday, with individual eliminations starting on Tuesday. The mixed team finals will follow on Friday, with the women’s team and individual finals set for the same weekend.
With high hopes and a well-prepared squad, the Indian archers are set to make their mark in Paris, aiming to break their Olympic medal jinx and achieve a historic result.