Who is Deepika Kumari? 5 things you didn’t know about the Indian archer

Deepika Kumari has become one of India’s best archers in recent times. She has been in great form over the recent past and will be looking to continue her dominance at the grandest stage of them all.

After a disappointing first-round exit in London in 2012 and a 7th place finish in Rio in 2016, Deepika Kumari will be gunning to finish at the podium and help India win its first medal in archery. Here's more on that and 5 other things you probably didn’t know about the veteran Indian archer.

Olympics ki Aasha: How Deepika Kumari is living her archery dream

# 1 Deepika Kumari and her early struggles to become an archer

During her childhood Deepika Kumari practised archery while aiming for mangoes with stones. #DeepikaKumari #Olympics2021 @sportstarweb cartoon pic.twitter.com/WysWn7wZbL

— Satish Acharya (@satishacharya) July 7, 2021

Deepika Kumari was born in Ranchi. Her father was a rickshaw driver and her mother a nurse. As a kid, she would aim at the tree for mangoes and it was at that time when she got interested in the sport of archery.

Her parents, however, could not afford her equipment but it didn’t stop her from dreaming. She continued practicing with a bamboo bow and an arrow. Later on, her cousin Vidya Kumari, who was also an archer, told her about Tata Archery Academy and Deepika enrolled there.

It was the first time she received proper training along with the required equipment and a stipend of Rs 500 and from there on she hasn't looked back.

# 2 Deepika Kumari is married to an archer

Deepika Kumari married her mixed event partner Atanu Das on June 30, 2020. The couple have since then been on a roll, winning titles together and individually as well. They bagged gold at the 2021 Mixed Team World Cup in Paris and will be hoping to deliver big performances as a team in future events.

Atanu Das, Deepika Kumari lead charge to break India's Archery-jinx at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

# 3 How many medals has Deepika Kumari won in her career?

Deepika Kumari 🇮🇳 takes gold in Paris! 🥇🏹👏 #ArcheryWorldCup pic.twitter.com/0ZIxSceCFs

— World Archery (@worldarchery) June 27, 2021

Deepika Kumari has been one of the most successful archers in Indian archery. She bagged 2 gold medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and also clinched bronze at the Asian Games. In her very first World Championship she won a silver and added another one in 2015 to her tally of medals at the competition.

She has won 6 medals in the Asian Championships, including one gold, two silver and 3 bronze. The archer was also successful in winning gold at the recently concluded Archery World Cup in Guatemala, which puts her in the right spot to compete at the Tokyo Olympics

# 4 What is Deepika Kumari’s World Ranking?

Deepika Kumari has been outstanding in the past year and her brilliance in the international competitions has helped her get to the number 1 position in the world rankings ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

# 5 Deepika Kumari has received multiple awards from the Indian government

Deepika Kumari’s achievement in the sport of archery was rewarded by the Indian government when she received the Arjuna award in 2012. Her brilliance on the global stage continued and in 2016, she was awarded the Padma Shri, which is India’s 4th highest civilian award.