A report in The Hindu says, that archery as a sport has never provided a strong medal prospect for India in the Olympics, but all that is going to change in the upcoming London Olympics. From the world championship last year only four archers qualified named Deepika, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro and Jayanta Talukdar.
But the men’s recurve team comprising Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai won their place soon after that in Ogden and that has really enhanced India’s chances of winning more than one medal.
Meanwhile, India’s chief coach Limba Ram said that the Indian archers have it in them to secure at least two medals in the London games, says a report in The Times of India.
For the men’s team Limba said that they will need a boost in the build-up to the big event, “They have proved themselves after securing the berth in the last chance we got at the World Cup (stage III in Ogden). Now it's for the government to give them a boost... Especially Rahul Banerjee who went through real hardships to help the team qualify.”
Limba once again expressed the need for an an archery academy in the state with the city boasting top archers like Dola and Rahul, he said “The city is truly proud of some top archers like Dola and Rahul. Besides, we train throughout the year here. But for the sport to develop and for youngsters to we need an archery academy.”
Limba is upbeat about Deepika Kumari and the men's team event chances for securing an Olympic medal saying, “Looking at their form, we can expect at least two medals in archery. We will be leaving about 10-12 days in advance to acclimatise ourselves to the conditions in London.”