Deepika back in top-16 in archery trials

Deepika shot a total of 2597 points out of a maximum of 2880 in the eight rounds of 70-metre distance in the women’s recurve section.

File Photo: India’s Deepika Kumari competes in the women’s individual 1/8 eliminations round of the archery event, at the Summer Olympics 2020, in Tokyo, Friday, July 30, 2021. Deepika Kumari lost her quarterfinal match to top seed An San of South Korea. | Photo Credit: PTI Photo/Gurinder Osan

Making a comeback about a month after becoming a mother, three-time Olympian Deepika Kumari made the top-16 cut by finishing ninth in the first open archery selection trials for the Asian Games, World Championships and World Cups, here on Sunday.

Deepika shot a total of 2597 points out of a maximum of 2880 in the eight rounds of 70-metre distance in the women’s recurve section.

Deepika’s husband and India number one Atanu Das, who was sidelined from the Indian team last year, finished second with a score of 2749 to make the top-16 in the men’s recurve section.

B Dhiraj topped the pool with 2767 points, while former Olympians Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav and Jayanta Talukdar also made the cut.

The only casualty was that of reigning national champion Sachin Gupta, who fell by the wayside finishing 19th.

The top-16 will be pitted against each other in round-robin matches to decide the top-eight over the next two days.