CHENNAI: In the recently-concluded Asian Games selection trials, some of the prominent archers from the country — both recurve and compound categories — failed to live up their standards, thereby missing out on a spot in the national team for the multi-sport event. Atanu Das and multiple Olympians Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai were some of the notable names who missed out.
Those who made the cut are part of the ongoing senior national archery coaching camp at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) NCOE in Sonipat, which is set to go on until June 7. The 16 elite archers — compound and recurve — are currently looking to build combinations, marry consistency with an objective to win a medal during the Asian Games, which is scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4 in Japan.
While admitting that there were a few surprises, World No 3 compound archer, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, believed that the archers who were selected for the Asian Games deserve to be in the team. "I know it was a little surprising to see the result of who got selected for the Asian Games, but there is a very healthy competition in India. It doesn't matter if you're in the team or not. So I think, in a way, it is really good because we get such good competition here. After so much process, those who are consistently performing, no matter what the situation is, are getting selected and moving forward and performing as well," she said in a virtual interaction facilitated by SAI on Tuesday.
Additionally, she believes that the team has enough time to prepare, by taking part in the Archery World Cup Stage 3 and 4. "We can plan on things. If we are lacking on anything, we can improve those things and go ahead as a team," she said.
'Gap with top nations not much'
Olympian and Asiad silver medallist Dhiraj Bommadevara felt the absence of Atanu and Tarundeep would be a big miss for the team ahead of a crucial year. Recurve archers Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge and women archers Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Ankita Bhakat were selected for the biennial event in Aichi-Nagoya.
"The good part about those names missing out is that they will keep sharing their experiences with the team in every aspect, be it the conditions and the hurdles they could face. With the time we have, we can learn as much as we can from them," he said.
Dhiraj felt the backing of SAI has been pivotal in raising their game, helping them close the gap with top nations in the process.
"The system that Indian archery is building with the help of TOPS, the support that we get... Many times the support could be a booster for any athlete to raise the bar themselves. So that is why the gap is slowly filling up with top nations like South Korea. And as far as winning or losing in tournaments is concerned, it's not in our hands, basically. But out of the ground, what we are doing in training depends on how far we go. So that way, not only archers, coaches and staff are also working hard," he said.
