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Deepika Kumari admitted that there is pressure, but sounded upbeat about India’s chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 in archery.
Only one archer, Dhiraj Bommadevara has made his way through to the mega event after winning the silver medal in the Asian Continental Qualification tournament that took place last year in Bangkok.
More archers have chances of booking their flight to Paris when they participate in the qualifier, scheduled to be held in June in Antalya, Turkey.
Deepika, who last donned the national colors at the 2022 Paris Archery World Cup in June, understands the challenge that lies ahead of Indian archers.
“I don’t deny there’s pressure…but not from external expectations. It’s because of our expectations from ourselves. I, along with the entire team, will give our best,” Deepika told Sports Authority of India (SAI) in an interview.
“We don’t only need to perform in the last qualifying event but also the remaining three World Cups so that our ranking is good. We will leave no stone unturned to qualify for the Olympics and win a medal in Paris,” she added.
"I felt no pressure" - Deepika Kumari on playing first international event since becoming a mother
Deepika, who has plied her trade in three Olympics until now, returned to archery in the Asia Cup 2024 stage-1 in Baghdad after becoming a parent with Atanu Das back in 2022.
She did not disappoint after she won two gold medals. The veteran won the women’s gold after beating Simranjeet Kaur. Thereafter, she won the women’s recurve team gold while partnering with Bhajan Kaur and Simranjeet.
“I felt no pressure. I just wanted to shoot and get back to form. I was shooting after a long time and had no expectations, I just wanted to perform, nothing else,” Deepika told.
Last year, Deepika left her kid at home with her husband and went to train under Kim Hyung Tak, a renowned archery coach, at his academy. It remains to be seen if Deepika can book her birth in Paris.
