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Young Indian compound archers Aditi Gopichand Swami and Ojas Pravin Deotale were left gutted after compound archery failed to make the cut for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
On October 13, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added five sports to the LA Olympics, including the likes of cricket and squash. However, compound archery, which was a favorite as per numerous reports, didn't fit in that additional list.
17-year-old Indian compound archer Aditi Gopichand Swami shot to prominence this year with gold medals at the World Archery Championships and the Asian Games. She became the youngest World Archery Champion bagging a gold in compound women's in Berlin in August this year.
Speaking to Sportstar after winning two gold medals at the recently concluded National Archery Championships in Ayodhya, Aditi Gopichand Swami expressed her dismay on compound archery missing out on Olympics once again.
"We were preparing for the Asian Championships selection trials in Sonepat when the IOC summit was going on in Mumbai. I used to get up in the morning and check the news to see if compound archery was being included. When I found out that compound archery wasn’t going to be part of the Olympics, I felt really bad."
She added:
"I really thought it would because even cricket got included. I know that if compound archery comes into the Olympics, India would not only have a very good chance of qualifying but doing well also."
Ojas Pravin Deotale bagged three gold medals at the Asian Games apart from winning individual gold in the men's compound event at the World Archery Championships. The 21-year-old from Nagpur had similar thoughts to that of his younger female counterpart.
"It was heartbreaking because we felt there were possibilities. I felt that archery was growing, and if it got an Olympic platform, it would have been great. It would have pushed a lot of young archers to take up the sport. But since it is not part of the Olympics, that excitement has come down a little bit," Ojas told Sportstar.
"I thought I would shift to shooting recurve from compound archery" - Prathamesh Jawkar
Prathamesh Jawkar is another teenage sensation who has shown his prowess both at the national and international levels. He upset World No.1 Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands to win gold with a score of 149-148 in the men's individual compound event at the Archery World Cup Stage II in Shangai this year.
The 19-year-old was also part of the men's compound gold medal-winning team at the Asian Games. Prathamesh admitted that he pondered the possibility of switching from compound to recurve archery in pursuit of an Olympic medal.
"I discussed this with my coach at the start of the year. I wanted to win a gold medal at the Archery World Cup, and after that, I thought I would shift to shooting recurve. But even after I won that gold medal, I kept shooting compound. I was still thinking compound archery might come into the Olympics," he told Sportstar.
Prathamesh won the men's compound event at the National Championships for Maharashtra after defeating AIP's Rajat Chauhan 148-146 in the final.
