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Indian archers seem poised for medals at Olympics

July 7, 2012
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Like in the 2004 Athens Games, Indian archers will be competing in all the medal events in the Olympics - the men's individual, women's individual, men's team and women's team - this time around in London. While the women's recurve team members Laishram Bombayla Devi, Deepika Kumari and Chekrovolu Swuro earned their berths by clinching a silver medal at the World Archery Championship in Turin (Italy) in July 2011, the men's team of Rahul Banerjee, Jayanta Talukdar and Tarundeep Rai booked the London tickets by finishing second best in the last qualifying event in Ogden, USA last month.

Going by recent form, most experts feel the London Games is the greatest chance for the Indian archers to win some medals for the country, the best being teenager Deepika Kumari in the women's individual category. However, the manner in which the men's team fought to qualify for the Games has made them the dark horses for the Games.

"I think they (men) have peaked at the right time and I am confident that both the men's and women's teams will win medals in London," Archery Association of India (AAI) general secretary Paresh Nath Mukherjee told TOI. His confidence stems from the fact that the archers have been consistently shooting in the 220 points range, which Mukherjee feels is good enough for an Olympic medal.

London will be the first Olympics for four out six archers, which means India will have a mix of experience and exuberance. The onus will be on Rai and Bombayla Devi, who have participated in the Olympics before, to channelize the youthful energy of Banerjee, Talukdar, Deepika and Chekrovolu since big stage nerves like can leave first-timers awe-struck.

"Olympics are always special. Every sportsperson grows up listening to Olympics stories. It's no doubt the greatest show on Earth. I have also heard a lot from my sister (Olympian Dola). She has cautioned me that one can get unnerved at such a huge event. Hence it is important to stay calm and focused," Banerjee told TOI.

As for Deepika, Olympics is a dream which she has nurtured ever since she picked up a bow and arrow. The Ranchi girl won her first World Cup individual recurve gold medal in Antalya, Turkey in May and became the world No. 1 in the FITA rankings last month. But her focus is on London. "The No. 1 ranking is okay but I will be happy only when we win a gold in the Olympics," he said.

Cricket's mecca - the legendary Lord's stadium - will be the venue for the archery event this time and the AAI held a month-long summer camp at the Paljor stadium in Gangtok to help the archers get a feel of the conditions in London. The Sikkim training helped the archers concentrate better.

The team will leave 10 days before the event begins to get acclimatized to the conditions in London. "Wind is likely to play an important role this time," Banerjee felt.

National coach Limba Ram, who himself missed out on an Olympic bronze medal by just one point in Barcelona in 1992, wants to experience that winning feeling through his wards. "We stand a good chance to win medals this time. Deepika is in good form and the men's team too has picked up at the right time," he said.

The common complaint against Indian archers has been that they fail to live up to their potential in international tournaments. London will provide the opportunity to put such talk to rest.

Key Players


Individual

Deepika Kumari: Very few thought the eldest daughter of autorickshaw driver Shivnarayan Mahato and nurse Geeta Mahato would one day be India's best bet for a Olympic medal in archery. Hailing from Ratu Chati village some 15 km from Ranchi, Jharkhand, Deepika came into limelight by winning the 11th Youth World Archery Championship in Ogden, USA in 2009 at an age of 15 years. She carried her superb form to senior level too, winning gold in Commonwealth Games and World Cup. The shy, introvert girl is the reigning world No. 1 archer. She has prevailed over the world's best archers from Korea, which makes her a medal favourite this time. "All the leading archers of the world take part in the World Cup. Hence success there has given me a lot of confidence," Deepika said adding, "I'm confident of not returning empty-handed from London this time."

Team: Women's

Laishram Bombayla Devi, Deepika Kumari and Chekrovolu Swuro are capable of surprising many this time. Most importantly, Deepika and Bombayla are among the very few archers in the world who have beaten the world's best Korean archers at some time. The trio has formed a good combination among themselves and back up each other well. Qualifying a year back, they have got good enough time to coordinate, strategize and train as a team keeping the Olympics in mind. Winning four matches will ensure a medal in the team event. Medal chances here are high.

India's best show so far

Individual: Limba Ram missing out on a bronze medal by one point in the 70m individual category in 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Team event: Women's team of Dola Banerjee, Bombayala Devi and V Pranitha lost in the quarterfinals in 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Team: Men's

The Indian men's team of Jayanta Talukdar (from left), Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai qualified late last month at the Ogden, USA, meet, but the important aspect is that they have picked up at the right time. The team has done quite well this year, winning silver in the World Cup Stage II and Stage III events. The team has changed the shooting order this year with Jayanta and Rahul changing spots as the first and last shooters respectively, and that has worked quite well so far. The way Jayanta and Tarundeep backed Rahul when he lost his bow box before the final qualifying event speaks volumes about the team spirit.

Other Contenders

Bombayla Devi: This will be Bombayla's second Olympics after she became the first women to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games. Being a regular member of the India side for the last four-five years, she has vast experience, which may come in handy in London.

Chekrovolu Swuro: The tall and stunning-looking archer from Dzulhami village of Phek district in Nagaland is a tough fighter and never loses heart in pressure situations. She has been in the circuit for more than a decade now and has enough exposure and experience to handle pressure in London.

Jayanta Talukdar: This quiet boy from Guwahati is one of the most consistent performer among Indian archers. Talukdar was the first Indian archer to win a gold medal at the World Cup in 2006. He is currently the highest ranked Indian archer (World No. 15).

Tarundeep Rai: This will the second Olympics for this archer from Sikkim, who as a 20-year-old participated in the Athens Olympics in 2004. He suffered a career-threatening shoulder injury which put him out of action for about two years but he made a strong comeback to the Indian side through sheer hard work.

Rahul Banerjee: The younger brother of Olympian Dola Banerjee, Rahul has watched from close quarters how her sister prepared intensely for the Olympics. Hence in spite of this being his first Olympics, he should not be left wanting in London. He showed great character by qualifying for the team event in spite of losing his bow box before the last qualifying event.



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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Filipina weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz noticed live-streamed concerts were collecting money for coronavirus relief and was struck by inspiration: why not raise funds with an online workout?

Since then the Olympic silver-medallist -- and strong contender for her country's first Games gold -- has made enough money to buy food packs for hundreds of hard-hit families in the Philippines.

Diaz has done it all from Malaysia, where she was training to qualify for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics when much of the world locked down against the virus in March.

"I thought (distribution) would be impossible because I'm not physically present," Diaz, 29, told news agency.

"It's a good thing that I have trusted friends and trusted family members who understand why we need to do a fundraising."

That circle of supporters has handed out the packages, which include vegetables, eggs and rice, to more than 400 families.

The food was bought with donations from about 50 people who joined sessions that lasted up to three hours, and gave them a rare chance to train with an elite athlete.

Diaz rose to fame in 2016 after snagging a surprise silver in the 53 kilogramme category in Rio, becoming the Philippines' first female Olympic medallist and ending the nation's 20-year medal drought at the Games.

Two years later, she won gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

However, her quest to qualify for Tokyo is on hold ahead of the Games' rescheduled opening in July 2021.

"I thought all the hard work would soon be over... then it was extended," she said. "But I'm still thankful I can still continue with (the training) I need to do."

Still, the lockdown broke her daily training regimen, keeping her away from weights for 14 days for the first time in her career.

"I felt like I was losing my mind already. I've been carrying the barbell for 18 years and all of a sudden it's gone. Those were the kinds of anxiety that I felt," she said.

But she got access to some equipment, and with her coach's urging, got back to work. She was relieved to find her strength was still there.

Instead of a Tokyo berth, the past months have been about a different kind of accomplishment for Diaz: helping her countrymen get through the coronavirus crisis.

Rosemelyn Francisco's family in Zamboanga City, Diaz's home town, is one of the first to get help from the athlete's initiative, and is deeply grateful.

Her family was not wealthy to begin with, and the pandemic has cost her husband his construction job.

"The food she donated has all everything we need, including eggs," said Francisco, 27.

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News Network
May 8,2020

New Delhi, May 8: India skipper Virat Kohli believes cricket in empty stadiums is a real possibility in post COVID-19 world and though it is unlikely to have a bearing on the intensity of players, he feels the magic would certainly go missing.

Cricket Boards across the globe are exploring the option of resuming the sport in empty stadiums. There is speculation that fans could be kept away from stadiums in a bid to salvage the T20 World Cup in Australia, which is currently under threat due to the global health crisis.

"It's quite a possible situation, it might happen, I honestly don't know how everyone is going to take that because we all are used to playing in front of so many passionate fans," Kohli said in Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected'.

"I know it will be played at a very good intensity but that feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game where everyone goes through it in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate," he added.

Kohli said the many moments which are created because of the passion brought in by fans, would be missing.

"Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created.

"We will play sports how it is supposed to be played, but those magical moments will be difficult to come by," he said.

Cricketers such as Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Pat Cummins have backed the idea of playing behind closed doors.

However, legendary Australian Allan Border has said it would defy belief to host a World Cup without spectators.

Another Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and some other cricketers have also expressed similar sentiments.

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News Network
June 27,2020

Jun 27: India's Test batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara cannot describe in words the influence that Rahul Dravid has had on his life but says he will always remain grateful to him for teaching the importance of switching off from cricket.

Often compared to Dravid, who was considered the 'wall' of Indian cricket, Pujara said he is thankful to Dravid for teaching him how to keep personal and professional lives separate.

"He helped me understand the importance of switching off from cricket. I had the same thought, more or less, but when I spoke to him, it gave me a lot of clarity about it and I was sure of what I needed to do," he told ESPNcricinfo.

"I also saw in county cricket how they keep personal and professional lives separate. I value that advice a lot. Many people consider me to be focused. Yes, I am focused, But I also know when to switch off. There is life beyond cricket."

In his illustrious international career, Dravid amassed 13288 runs in 164 Tests and 10889 runs in 344 ODIs. He also captained India in 79 ODIs, winning 42 of them, which includes the world record of 14 successive wins while chasing.

"I cannot say in one line what Rahul bhai means to me. He has always been an inspiration, and will remain one," Pujara said.

His mental fortitude and batting technique is often compared to Dravid but Pujara said "despite my enchantment with him" he never tried to "copy him."

"There is a similarity in our games, but that's not because of my fascination with him. That came mainly through my experiences with Saurashtra, where I learned that scoring a hundred alone isn't enough, you have to carry your team," he said.

"That is how I learned responsibility - it is about helping my team to raise a big total, and for that I ought to attach importance to my wicket. I learned that from my junior cricket days with Saurashtra, which was a weaker team in domestic cricket."

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