Tokyo Olympics, Archery: Deepika, Atanu, Tarundeep, Pravin carry India's hopes
Form guide of Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav, and a look at the archers in their path as they chase medals at Tokyo Olympics.
Published : Jul 20, 2021 18:13 IST
Here is the lowdown on four archers who will lead India's challenge in archery at Tokyo Olympics.
Women:
Ranking: 1
Form guide: 2021: Gold in women’s individual and team event in World Cup-I, Guatemala; Gold in women’s individual, team and mixed team events in World Cup-III, Paris; 2019: Bronze in women’s team event and Bronze in mixed team event in Asian championships, Thailand.
Main rivals: Kang Chae Wong and An San (Korea), Tan Ya-Ting and Lei Chien-Ying (Chinese Taipei), Zheng Yiach (China), Ana Vazquez, Alejandra Valencia (Mexico), and Gaby Schloesser (Netherlands).
Deepika Kumari, the most decorated archer of India, comes from a humble family in Ranchi. Deepika was attracted to archery from an early age and got support from Meera Munda, wife of former Jharkhand chief minister and current Union minister Arjun Munda. Meera, who was the president of the Saraikela Kharsawan District Archery Association (SKDAA), allowed the young girl to train at the association’s facility at Maa Damadiri Ground in Kharsawan in 2005.
RELATED | Men:
Atanu Das
Ranking: 9
Form guide: 2021 : Gold in men’s individual event, Bronze in mixed team event at World Cup-I, Guatemala; Gold in mixed team event in World Cup-III in Paris; 2019: Silver medal in World championships men’s team event, Netherlands; Bronze in men’s team event and Bronze in mixed team event in Asian championships, Thailand.
Main rivals: Brady Ellison (USA), Mete Gazoz (Turkey), Kim Woo-jin, Lee Seung-yun and Lee Woo-Seok (Korea), Feng Hao (China), Thomas Chirault and Jean Charles Valladont (France), Sjef van den Berg (Netherlands).
Atanu Das has taken his time to realise his potential but is considered one of the best in the world at present. The Kolkata based archer, belonging to a humble background, began his journey at a neighborhood club, Kolkata Archery Club, in the northern part of the city. His father Amit Das says he took a risk in putting Atanu in archery but his son showed promise early.
Tarundeep Rai
Ranking: 58
Form guide: 2021: Quarterfinal in men’s team event in World Cup-I, Guatemala, Quarterfinal in men’s team event World Cup-III, Paris; 2019: Silver medal in men’s team event in World championships, Netherlands; Bronze in men’s team event in Asian championships, Thailand.
Main rivals: Brady Ellison (USA), Mete Gazoz (Turkey), Kim Woo-jin, Lee Seung-yun and Lee Woo-Seok (Korea), Feng Hao (China), Thomas Chirault and Jean Charles Valladont (France) and Sjef van den Berg (Netherlands).
Coming from Namchi, Sikkim, Tarundeep Rai was was spotted during an Army talent hunt initiative in the North East in the 1990s. Rai went on to compete in the National championships at the age of 18 and won a medal at an international event a year later. According to former Army coach Ravi Shankar, who spent a lot of time with Rai at the Army Sports Institute, Pune, the archer is very determined and believes in hard work.
Ranking: 41
Form guide: 2021: Quarterfinal in men’s team event in World Cup-I, Guatemala, Quarterfinal in men’s team event World Cup-III, Paris; 2019: World championships men’s team silver medal, Netherlands.
Main rivals: Brady Ellison (USA), Mete Gazoz (Turkey), Kim Woo-jin, Lee Seung-yun and Lee Woo-Seok (Korea), Feng Hao (China), Thomas Chirault and Jean Charles Valladont (France) and Sjef van den Berg (Netherlands).
Pravin Jadhav’s journey is young, but has had an impact. Coming from a family of modest means in Sarade village of Phaltan taluka in Satara district of Maharashtra, Jadhav showed interest in sports in his school and took to athletics to run 400m and 800m. His teachers noticed his talent as a sportsperson despite his struggle to get adequate nourishment. One of his mentors advised him to switch to archery and the youngsters prospects soared after he made the change.
His enrollment under the Maharashtra government-backed Krida Prabodhini scheme also helped. Jadhav made quick progress in archery and made his India debut in the Asia Cup Stage-1 in Bangkok, from where he returned with a team bronze medal in 2016. Year 2017 was a turning point for Jadhav, who won his first elite National title in the team event on debut and got recruited in the Army. He claimed a few other medals at the Nationals, including his maiden individual title in 2019. The biggest moment for him so far, after picking up a bow in 2013, came when he secured a World championships team silver with Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai in the Netherlands and booked an Olympic quota place for the country. With his high accuracy, the 25-year-old will be an important member of the national team as India seeks to win its first archery medal, in the Tokyo Olympics.