Three archers from Jharkhand have made it to the Indian women's recurve team for the upcoming Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo, Japan in July.
Deepika Kumari, Komalika Bari and Ankita Bhakat got the nod after the third and final selection trials which concluded at Army Sports Institute in Pune on Monday evening.
While the seasoned Deepika, a Padma Shri, has represented the country in Olympics staged in London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016), Komalika and Ankita will be performing on the big stage for the first time.
Ankita Bhakat Sourced by the correspondent
Deepika, who hails from Ratu Chatti near Ranchi and is a former cadet of Tata Archery Academy, has shifted base to Pune after her marriage to archer Atanu Das. Komalika is a cadet of the elite Tata cradle whereas Ankita has joined Tata Steel on contract.
Deepika, who has already won an individual Olympic quota at the 2019 Asian Archery Championships, topped the final trial. Ankita Bhakat came second while Komolika Bari came overall third in the trials.
India, however, is yet to secure a quota place for the recurve team event. The recurve team of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Komolika Bari will get an opportunity to earn that place at the Final Team Qualification event scheduled to take place in Paris from June 18-21.
Komalika Bari Sourced by the correspondent
All three travelling to Tokyo will be subject to the trio bringing home the quota from Paris. Otherwise, Deepika will be the sole representative in the individual event.
Tata Archery Academy chief coach Dharmendra Tiwary said both Ankita and Komalika stand a fair chance of qualifying for the Olympics. "Both archers are presently in good form and are expected to continue the same till the Paris event. It is important for them to continue with their form. It is the form on a given day which holds the key," the Dronacharya awardee said.
Pravin Jadhav, Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai will represent the India men's recurve side in the Tokyo Games.