New Delhi [India], May 1 : Dhiraj Bommadevara, the only Indian recurve archer to have grabbed a quota place at the upcoming Paris Olympics, was part of a troika that scripted history at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai earlier this week.
A beneficiary of the sports ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme, the 22-year-old from Vijayawada, Bommadevara won a second World Cup medal in Shanghai when he teamed up with Ankita Bhakat to win the bronze in the mixed team event. India drubbed Mexico in straight sets to win the medal.
"We all feel very happy. The plan, the mindset we all had, got executed and we maintained that till the end," said Dhiraj Bommadevara while speaking to SAI media.
The Indian men's recurve team of Dhiraj, veteran Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Ramesh Jadhav defeated Korea in the title round to reclaim the recurve gold after 14 years. The last time Indian men won an archery World Cup gold medal was in Shanghai in 2010.
"Our mindset was to just focus on our game and not to focus on our opponents. We had a tunnel-vision focus. Be it in any situation, rain or wind, we wanted to keep the communication among us going. That we kept on till the end," explained Bommadevara.
India are eyeing their first-ever Olympic medal in archery and with the kind of form the Indian archers are they are expected to script history in Paris.
"Chances are pretty high. We are trying hard to convert the individual quota into a team quota, so we are working consistently towards it, planning for it and taking part in as many tournaments as possible. Our first priority is to get the team quota. We will go to Paris 2024 with a simple mindset just to give our best. The rest is not in our hands. No expectation on results. We have to be prepared for everything and perform accordingly," said Dhiraj Bommadevara.
Indian archers have excelled in many Archery World Cups and World Championships but have failed to replicate the same performance in Olympics. Will the fortunes change this time for India in Paris Olympics is the question everyone is asking.
"Our archers who have competed at the Olympics before have shown the dedication and no doubt they have put in their best effort. When we don't get a medal, of course everyone feels bad, the ones playing as well as the ones watching. The ones who feel the worst are the ones who had dedicatedly put in the hard work," said Bommadevara.
Not only the recurve archers but the compound archers are also doing well for India winning medals in World Cups and the Asian Games last year.
"Our compound team is the best in the world. Its performance helps us push ourselves. Both the compound bow and the recurve bow competitions are equally tough. How Jyothi (Surekha) didi handles her pressure in various categories - individual, mixed or team event - is really commendable and inspiring," told Dhiraj Bommadevara.
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