Former World No. 1 Deepika Kumari, who missed the entire season last year after becoming mother in December 2022, topped the selection trials for the upcoming World Cups and Paris Olympics here on Sunday.
The three-time Olympian, who marked her return by winning two gold medals at the Baghdad Asia Cup in February, made the cut along with Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari in the four-member squad. Former youth world champion Bari came in at the expense of Simranjeet Kaur.
Making a comeback after 20 months, the 29-year-old Deepika rallied to defeat Simranjeet in a four-setter to clinch gold at the Baghdad leg of the Asia Cup.
India is yet to secure a quota in the women’s section for the Paris Olympics and the third stage of the World Cup in Antalya from June 18 to 23 will be the final qualifying event before the Games in July-August.
Dhiraj Bommadevara, who has secured the only Paris Olympic quota for India so far, topped the men’s recurve section. Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and Mrinal Chauhan are the other members of the men’s recurve squad.
Chauhan is the only change to the Asia Cup Leg one squad, coming in place of Parth Salunkhe.
“This squad is provisional (for the Olympics), and we may make one or two alterations based on their performance in the first two stages of the World Cup,” national high performance director Sanjeeva Singh told PTI.
As a matter of fact, a team consists of three members for the Olympics and it remains to be seen if India can qualify as a team for Paris Games.
The season-opening first stage of the World Cup is slated in Shanghai from April 21 to 28. Yecheon in South Korea will host the second stage of the World Cup from May 21 to 26.
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