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Deepika Kumari, India's ace archer, is embarking on her fourth Olympic journey, balancing the demands of motherhood and her unwavering pursuit of an elusive Olympic medal. After giving birth to her daughter Vedika in December 2022, Deepika faced immense physical challenges, including muscle stiffness and the inability to lift her 19-kg bow.Undeterred, she embarked on a rigorous rehabilitation program, gradually regaining her strength and agility. With the support of her husband and fellow archer Atanu Das, Deepika returned to competition, dominating the National Games and earning a spot under the guidance of legendary Korean coach Kim Hyung-Tak.Despite her impressive feats, Deepika remains focused on the present, treating the Olympics as any other competition. She acknowledges the pressure surrounding the event in India but emphasizes the importance of maintaining a clear mind.In Paris, Deepika will face a formidable challenge in 21-year-old South Korean Lim Si-hyeon, who has defeated her twice this year. However, Deepika remains unfazed, confident in her preparation and the support of her team.Paris holds special memories for Deepika, where she won a hattrick of gold medals in the 2021 World Cup. However, she is determined to approach the Olympics with a fresh perspective, focusing on securing a favorable draw in the qualification round.In the mixed team event, Deepika is likely to partner with Dhiraj Bommadevara, who has been in exceptional form, winning 10 international medals in the past year. Their combination could prove to be India's best chance for a medal in the recurve mixed team event.Deepika's journey to Paris has been marked by resilience and determination. She has overcome physical challenges, embraced motherhood, and remained focused on her Olympic dream. As she prepares to step onto the world's biggest sporting stage, Deepika carries the hopes of a nation and the unwavering support of her family.

Renowned South Korean archery coach Baek Woong Ki has expressed his disappointment and frustration after being denied accreditation for the Paris Olympics. The coach, who has guided the Indian archery team for over a year, feels "humiliated and insulted" by the decision.Woong Ki, who played a pivotal role in shaping the Indian team, was not included in the list of six coaching staff submitted by the Archery Association of India (AAI) to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Instead, two Indian coaches, Sonam T Shering Bhutia and Purnima Mahato, were given accreditation to stay in the Games Village.The Korean coach, who guided South Korea to two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, believes that his exclusion from the Olympic Games archery coach is a "big mistake" by the IOA. He has expressed his desire to end his tenure as head coach of the Indian team after the Paris Olympics."I do not want to continue anymore. I just want to go back to South Korea," Woong Ki told HT from Paris. "I have been preparing with the goal of helping India win a medal for the first time at the Paris Olympics. However, I believe that appointing a foreign coach but excluding (me) from the Olympic Games archery coach is a big mistake by the IOA and a decision that does not follow the original plan and goals."Woong Ki's absence is a significant blow to the Indian archery team, which has qualified for all five events at the Olympics. The team has been training hard under Woong Ki's guidance and has shown promising results, including winning silver medals in the men's and women's team events at the Asian Games.The AAI has reached out to IOA officials to find a solution, but no resolution has been found. The IOA has cleared 68 coaches and 50 support staff for 117 athletes, but the large contingent has made it difficult to accommodate all the coaches and support staff.The Indian archery team will begin its Olympic campaign on July 2 with the ranking rounds for all five events. The team will be hoping to make history and win India's first-ever archery medal at the Olympics.

IOA Faces Scrutiny Over Coach and Support Staff Issues Ahead of Paris OlympicsWith just days remaining before the start of the Paris Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is facing criticism over administrative issues involving coaches and support staff for the Indian contingent. Despite clearing a jumbo 256-member contingent, several concerns have emerged.One of the most notable omissions is South Korean archery coach Baek Woong Ki, who has been instrumental in the team's impressive results and qualification for the Olympics. The Archery Association of India has expressed surprise at his exclusion, stating that they had submitted his name along with five other support staff members.Wrestler Antim Panghal has also raised concerns, claiming that her coach and physio have yet to receive visas due to delays by IOA officials. IOA president PT Usha has defended the association's actions, stating that they have been "proactive" in obtaining accreditations and visas for coaches and support staff.However, Usha has blamed the ad-hoc committee that governed wrestling until March 18 for not recommending Antim's support personnel in the long list. The committee's former chairman, Bhupinder Bajwa, has expressed surprise at this accusation, stating that the WFI took over after the ad-hoc committee's departure and that the names of Vinesh Phogat's coach and support staff were included in the long list despite her qualifying only in April.Despite IOA's efforts to accommodate personal coaches, trainers, and physios of several top athletes, some disciplines have more support staff members than athletes. This has led to concerns about the allocation of resources and the potential impact on the performance of the team.IOA has cleared 68 coaches and 50 support staff for 117 athletes, with a ratio of slightly better than 1:1. However, a large number of support staff will stay outside the Games Village and have limited access to venues.The IOA has included seven personal support staff members in wrestling in the 'non-accredited' category, including Antim's coach, sparring partner, and physio. However, concerns remain about the potential impact on the team's performance.

The highly anticipated 2024 Paris Olympics are set to commence on July 26 and conclude on August 11, with 206 nations participating from across the globe. The event will feature 45 sports, including 41 mainstay Olympic disciplines and four new additions: breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.India aims to surpass its tally of seven medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which included a gold, two silver, and four bronze. The country will send approximately 120 athletes to Paris, representing various sports.In archery, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav, Bhajan Kaur, Deepika Kumari, and Ankita Bhakat have secured spots. Athletics will see Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bisht, Priyanka Goswami, Avinash Sable, Parul Chaudhary, Jyothi Yarraji, Kiran Pahal, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Abha Khatua, Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Annu Rani, Sarvesh Kushare, Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker, and the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams competing.Badminton will feature H.S Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, P.V Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponappa, and Tanisha Crasto. Boxing will be represented by Nikhat Zareen, Amit Phangal, Nishant Dev, Preeti Pawar, Lovlina Borgohain, and Jaismine Lamboria.In equestrian, Anush Agarwalla will participate in dressage. Golf will see Subhankar Sharma, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Aditi Ashok, and Diksha Dagar. The men's hockey team will include P.R Sreejesh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rogidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, and Gurjant Singh.Judo will feature Tulika Mann, while rowing will have Balraj Panwar. Sailing will see Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan. Shooting will be represented by Prithviraj Tondaiman, Rajeshwari Kumari, Shreyasi Singh, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan, Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta, Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita Jindal, Swapnil Kusale, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil, Arjun Cheema, Sarabjot Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwam, Vijayveer Sidhu, Anish Bhanwala, and Esha Singh.Swimming will have Dhinidhi Desinghu and Srihari Nataraj. Table tennis will feature Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath. Tennis will see Sumit Nagal, Rohan Bopanna, and Sriram Balaji. Weightlifting will be represented by Mirabai Chanu. Wrestling will have Aman Sehrawat, Vinesh Phogat, Anshu Malik, Nisha Dahiya, Reetika Hooda, and Antim Phangal.

The Indian compound women's archery team continued their dominance this season, securing a hattrick of World Cup gold medals with a victory over Estonia in the third stage of the event on Saturday. The trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, and Parneet Kaur, who had qualified as the top seed, defeated Estonia's Lisell Jaatma, Meeri-Marita Paas, and Maris Tetsmann, 232-229 in a one-sided final.This victory marks the third consecutive World Cup gold medal for the Indian women's compound team, having previously won the Stage 1 and Stage 2 gold medals in Shanghai and Yecheon in April and May respectively. Their consistent performance has solidified their position as one of the top teams in the world.In addition to the women's team's success, Indian male compound archer Priyansh is also in contention for a bronze medal later in the day. In the recurve section, Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara are also in the hunt for two medals, having advanced to their respective individual semifinals.The Indian archery team's impressive performance at the World Cup is a testament to their hard work and dedication. Their success is a source of pride for the nation and inspires young archers to strive for excellence.

Ankita Bhakat's impressive performance at the Final Olympic Qualifier in Paris has secured her an individual quota for the upcoming Paris Games. The ninth-seeded archer cruised to a 6-0 victory over Gabrielle Monica Bidaure of the Philippines in the pre-quarterfinals, earning India a quota in both men's and women's archery.Bhakat's journey to the quarterfinals included victories over Shelley Hilton and Mikaella Moshe of Israel. She will now face top-seed Mobina Fallah of Iran in the quarters. Bhajan, the third seed, also advanced to the pre-quarters after defeating Urantungalag Bishindee of Mongolia.While Bhakat and Bhajan continue their quest for a podium finish, India's premier archer Deepika Kumari suffered a disappointing opening round defeat to Yaylagul Ramazanova of Azerbaijan. Kumari, the former world No. 1, led 4-0 but faltered in the next two sets, allowing Ramazanova to level the match. The Azerbaijan archer then won the fifth set for a 6-4 victory.Despite the setback, India's men's and women's teams still have a chance to qualify for the Paris Games through the World Rankings. The men's team, currently ranked No. 2, and the women's team, ranked No. 8, can earn berths if they maintain their positions until the cutoff date of June 24.The top two nations from among those without team quotas will qualify for the Olympics based on their World Rankings after the third stage of the World Cup, which begins on Tuesday. India's nearest competitors in the men's rankings are China and Japan, while Indonesia, Colombia, and Italy are vying for the second spot in the women's rankings.

The Indian women's compound archery team continued their golden run, securing their third consecutive Archery World Cup gold medal at the stage two event in Antalya, Turkey. The trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, and Aditi Swami dominated the Turkish team of Hazal Burun, Ayse Bera Suzer, and Begum Yuva, winning 232-226 in a lopsided final.The Indian team, ranked number one in the world, showcased their superiority from the outset, winning the first end and maintaining their lead throughout the match. They did not drop a single set, sealing the gold with a comfortable six-point margin.This victory marks a hat-trick of World Cup gold medals for Jyothi, Parneet, and Aditi, who had previously triumphed at the season-opening World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai and the stage four event in Paris last year.The Indian team's success is a testament to their consistent performance and unwavering determination. They have established themselves as a formidable force in compound archery, consistently delivering podium finishes at major international events.In addition to the women's team gold, India is also eyeing a second gold medal in the compound mixed team event. Jyothi and Priyansh will face the USA in the final later in the day, aiming to add to India's medal tally.

World-renowned archery coach Kim Hyung Tak believes that India has a strong chance of securing its first-ever Olympic medal in archery at the Paris 2024 Games. The Korean coach, who has over 40 years of experience, recently conducted a coaches' seminar at the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence in Sonepat, Haryana.Kim praised the Indian recurve team's technical training and communication between archers and coaches. He emphasized the importance of consistency in training and preparation, stating that it is crucial for achieving success at the Olympics."By keeping this consistency in training and preparation, I think it is very much possible to get a medal in Paris," Kim told SAI Media.India has already secured one Paris 2024 quota place in archery through Dhiraj Bommadevara. The Indian recurve archers are now aiming for a team quota in the final qualification tournament in Antalya, Turkey, from June 14 to 17.Kim believes that the Indian team has improved significantly, thanks to the talented archers and frequent coaching camps organized by the Sports Authority of India and Archery Association of India. He also highlighted the importance of collaboration between coaches and archers."The average level of the team has got a notch higher because of the talented men's and women's recurve team here. The frequent coaching camps by Sports Authority of India and Archery Association of India too are contributing to the cause and constant collaboration is only helping the team get that elusive medal at the Olympics," Kim said.Kim, who led the Korean women's recurve team to its first Olympic gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, also supervised a two-day national team preparation camp at Sonepat. He was impressed by the coaching program at SAI, Sonepat, which has produced consistent results in recent times."Since I've come here, I've seen more high level and detailed training provided to the archers. The training programs, which use a lot of technology, are also very well crafted. The coaches are continuously mentoring the archers on managing training schedules to training times. The psychology team is also working around the clock and good mentoring is being provided as a whole," Kim said.Kim's optimism for Indian archery is based on the presence of young archers and experienced veterans like Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai. He believes that the team's strong performances and the support of the coaching staff will help them achieve their goal of an Olympic medal in Paris.

Dhiraj Bommadevara, the lone Indian recurve archer to secure an Olympic quota for Paris 2024, played a pivotal role in India's historic triumph at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai. The Indian men's recurve team, comprising Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Ramesh Jadhav, defeated archery powerhouse Korea in the title round, reclaiming the gold medal after a 14-year hiatus.Bommadevara, a beneficiary of the Sports Ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), also bagged a bronze medal in the mixed team event alongside Ankita Bhakat. India's victory over Mexico in straight sets marked their second medal in Shanghai.In an exclusive interview with SAI Media, Bommadevara shared his insights on the team's success, their mindset, and their aspirations for the Paris Olympics.On the Historic Gold Medal:"We're overjoyed," Bommadevara exclaimed. "We executed our plan and maintained our focus throughout the competition."On the Team's Mindset:"We focused solely on our game and ignored our opponents," Bommadevara explained. "We maintained clear communication and supported each other through every situation."On Team Bonding:"Tarundeep Rai, Pravin, and I are all from the Indian Army, so we spend a lot of time together," Bommadevara said. "We've developed a strong chemistry that translates into our performances."On Being the Youngest Member:"I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from my experienced teammates," Bommadevara stated. "I'm constantly striving to improve and avoid repeating mistakes."On India's Chances at Paris 2024:"Our chances are promising," Bommadevara asserted. "We're working towards converting our individual quota into a team quota. Our priority is to qualify as a team and then give our best in Paris. We're not setting expectations but preparing for every scenario."On the Impact of Tarundeep Rai:"Tarundeep Rai's experience is invaluable," Bommadevara said. "He shares his tactical and philosophical insights, which helps us immensely. His dedication inspires us to push ourselves."On the Mental Strength of Indian Archers:"We're focused on improving ourselves rather than comparing ourselves to others," Bommadevara explained. "We learn from our mistakes and strive to perform better."On the Impact of the Compound Team:"Our compound team is world-class," Bommadevara said. "Their success motivates us to raise our own standards. Jyothi Surekha's ability to handle pressure in various events is truly inspiring."On the Support from TOPS:"TOPS has provided me with financial stability and allowed me to focus solely on my game," Bommadevara said. "It has alleviated the financial burden on my family and enabled me to pursue my Olympic dream."