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Indian archers' disappointing performance at the World Archery Championships 2023 led to a quarterfinal exit, dashing hopes of securing team quotas for the Paris Olympics. The men's recurve team, comprising Dhiraj Bommadevara, Rajat Chauhan, and Tushar Shelke, faced their longtime rivals, Korea, but lost 1-5.
Despite starting strong and leading 2-0 in the women's recurve event in the World Archery Championships, Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat, and Simranjeet Kaur couldn't maintain their momentum and eventually lost to the Netherlands 2-6.
Even in the recurve mixed team event in the World Archery Championships, India's fourth-place finish in the qualification couldn't save them from disappointment. The pair of Bommadevara and Ankita, who received a bye to the last 16, faced Italy but narrowly lost 4-5 in the shoot-off.
The World Archery Championships serve as a crucial opportunity for archers to secure coveted spots at the Paris Olympics. The top three finishers in both team and individual events are granted direct entry to the prestigious sporting event, making it a high-stakes competition for all participating nations.
India's recurve teams fell short against their opponents. The men's recurve team put up a valiant effort against Korea but couldn't clinch the victory. Similarly, the women's recurve team showed promise, initially leading the match, but they couldn't maintain their advantage, resulting in a tough loss to the Netherlands.
The recurve mixed team event was another missed opportunity for India to secure a quota place. Despite a favorable draw, they couldn't capitalize on their previous qualification performance and fell short against Italy in the shoot-off.
As the Championship reaches the individual section, India pins its hopes on Army man Bommadevara. He clinched the second seed in the men's individual recurve during the qualification round in World Archery Championships, raising expectations for a strong performance on Thursday, August 3.
India's road to the Paris Olympics: The next crucial round of qualifiers
As the road to the Paris Olympics continues, the next crucial round of qualifiers for India will be the Continental Games. For India, this opportunity comes with the Hangzhou Asian Games in October.
Following the Asian Games, the Asian Championship in November in Bangkok will be the penultimate qualifying tournament. Then, the final chance will come with the Antalya World Cup in June of the following year. These tournaments will be the last shot for Indian archers to earn their berths for the highly anticipated sporting event in Paris.
However, there's a safety net for India. In the worst-case scenario, if they don't secure a direct qualification from any of the events, the country will still have an opportunity through its top-8 world ranking. The World Ranking List, updated on June 24, 2024, will award quota places to the highest-ranked Indian archers, ensuring a fair chance for representation.
