Leading into the 2012 London Olympics, the confident tone of India's archery contingent was unmistakable. The team's head coach, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Limba Ram, was postulating on India's chances and the archers themselves were brimming with self-assurance. This was, after all, the first time since Athens 2004 that India had filled the six quota places available at the Games. India had had a successful season, with the highlight being the crowning of 18-year-old Deepaki Kumari as the women's World No. 1. There was even talk of India's archers winning a medal at the London Games.
Was this confidence misplaced? With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to say yes. The men's team lost in a close shootout to Japan and the women's team, ranked second best in the world, lost Denmark in the first round. In the individual competition, the outcome was no different with Deepika especially producing a below par performance to bow out of the individual recurve event. It was almost embarrassing to watch India's archers, and the image of Bombayla Devi laughing after missing a shot during an event at Lord's is perhaps the lasting impression of the women's archery contingent in London.
The reasons for this failure to compete at the London Games have varied, with some citing the wind factor at Lord's - despite a conditioning camp in windy Gangtok to get the archers acclimatized for Londons soppy weather - and illness to certain players and others the need
08:41 AM, Aug 10, 2012
Kolkata: Hit by flu on arrival, the Indian archers have got used to the unpredictable weather in London and are now eagerly awaiting the start of the Olympics in which they aim to win their first-ever medal, national coach Limba Ram said. A three-time Olympian himself, the 40-year-old is travelling to the Games as a coach for the first time. At the Barcelona Games in 1992, he missed the bronze...
02:27 PM, Jul 25, 2012
London: Indian women archers have enough mental strength to create history at London Olympics as they have learned to soak in pressure, feel the two coaches accompanying the squad in the British capital. "We're hoping to create Indian archery history. The girls have already shown their admirable skills, all they need to do is to keep their composure," says women's archery coach Purnima Mahato. "Mental strength plays a very big...
01:28 PM, Jul 24, 2012
