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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