New Delhi, April 10 For India's ace archer Rajat Chauhan, a dream is turning into reality as the compound archery is set to make its Olympic debut in the 2028 Los Angeles games.
The 2014 Asian Games gold medallist, who was always dreaming of an Olympic medal, had even gotten a tattoo of the iconic five Olympic rings on his right arm in 2016.
"It’s a proud moment for all of India because the compound archery team has finally been given a chance to prove itself. I got an Olympic tattoo back in 2016, and now I haven’t slept all night—I’m so excited!" Chauhan told IANS on Thursday.
The first-ever Olympic medal for compound archers will be awarded at the 2028 Olympic Games, following the International Olympic Committee’s announcement that the compound mixed team event will be added to the archery programme in Los Angeles.
The compound mixed team competition joins the existing five recurve events – men’s and women’s individual, men’s and women’s team, and mixed team – on the programme, bringing the total number of archery medals available to six.
It is the first time since archery’s reintroduction to the Olympic Games in 1972 that a new bowstyle is added to the competition.
Archery was reintroduced to the Olympic programme in 1972 with recurve men’s and women’s individual events. Team competitions were included in 1988 and a fifth archery medal, the recurve mixed team, made its debut at Tokyo 2020.
The addition of the mixed team format for compound ensures archery maintains its equal gender split and athlete quota in LA.
Compound is a modern style of bow, invented in the USA, that uses cams and pulleys to efficiently power an arrow downrange. It has benefited from decades of investment in high-performance and universal development following its first appearance at the World Archery Championships in 1995.
The bowstyle has featured at the World Games since 2013 and at recent continental multisport events in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific.
Chauhan, who is deputy superintendent of police in Rajasthan, has championships, including a silver medal, Asian Games medal, including gold and silver, four Asian championships medal (two gold and as many silver) to his name.
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