With bows drawn and spirits high, Indian archers will return to action this month at the final
stage of the World Cup to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from June 18–23, alongside the Final
Olympic Qualifier Tournament also to be held at the same venue from June 14–17.
Following a lacklustre showing at the Yecheon World Cup, where only the compound archers
excelled, taking home two medals (one gold and one silver), all archers will be hoping to
make an impression and maintain their position atop the medal standings.
The consistent compound archery squad will undoubtedly desire a sweep in all five
disciplines.
Jyothi Vennam will lead the charge, aiming for a podium result in the women’s individual, women’s team, and mixed team events.
Missing out on the individual podium
finish in Yecheon, Jyothi will definitely have all the spotlight.
Abhisek Verma and Priyansh will also try to repeat their success from the previous world
cup, looking to clinch the top honour in the men’s team category.
Compound Archery Squad
Men: Prathamesh Fuge, Priyansh, and Abhisekh Verma
Women: Parneet Kaur, Aditi Gopichand Swami, and Jyothi Surekha Vennam.
From the Olympic point of view, the recurve archers will have to put their best foot forward
and deliver a remarkable performance in the last chance to seal the berth to Paris.
We are yet to have representation in women’s recurve, and Deepika Kumari is the best bet for it. She will have the chance to qualify if she manages to have a top-two finish at the Final
Olympic Qualifier Tournament (played before the World Cup) or sneak in through the
women’s recurve team spot if they are able to finish in the top four in the competition.
Nevertheless, if neither of these happens, the women’s team will have to produce their best
result at the World Cup and gather as many points as possible to qualify through the world
rankings.
Tarundeep Rai and his co will be eager to defeat the formidable teams and maintain their
momentum in the run-up to Paris. The individual quota of Dhiraj will, in all likelihood, be
converted into a team quota, allowing us to send three archers.
Recurve Archery Squad
Men: Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav, and Tarundeep Rai
Women: Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat, and Deepika Kumari
Written by Khushi
