Hockey has been India’s most successful sport at the Olympics, with the men dominating the scene from the 1920s-80s. And then came the lull, till Tokyo 2020. The India men’s team ended their medal drought after 41 years when the Games were held in 2021 coming home with a bronze from Tokyo, while the women valiantly fought for fourth place. Archery sports a very different story as the nation still awaits a medal from the sport despite many a promise in the past. The competition is tough, but will this year be theirs? Let’s see...
Hockey
Tokyo 2020 breathed some much-needed oxygen into Indian hockey. While the women haven’t been able to qualify this time, the men will have their reputation to uphold. The team will continue to be led by drag-flicker and defender Harmanpreet Singh, with Hardik Singh having a powerful role to
play in the midfield. India’s forward line has a settled look, featuring the likes of Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh and Gurjant Singh.
A lot would also depend on how goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, India’s last line of defence, fares in what will be his fourth and final Olympics. Besides, the country would eagerly look forward to the Olympic debut of defenders Jarmanpreet Singh and Sanjay, midfielder Raj Kumar Pal, and strikers Abhishek and Sukhjeet.
The 2023-24 FIH Pro League, which concluded last month, had come up with several tests for India, who finished seventh in the competition. But in some of those games, India certainly put up a good fight, and even went on to register victories over Germany, Argentina, Spain, Ireland and also the Netherlands (via shoot-out).
These wins and the close games should keep the side in good shape and mindset going into the Olympics, where they have been placed in Pool B alongside New Zealand, Argentina, Ireland, Belgium and Australia.
They begin their campaign against New Zealand on Saturday.
“India must ensure they begin well. In a competition like the Olympics, getting off to a good start sets the tone,” former India goalkeeper Bharat Chettri, also captain of the team during the 2012 Olympics, said. “There’s a mix of youth and experience in this team. This balance does keep them on track to finish with a medal.”
To advance to the quarter-final stage, India must secure a top-four finish in the group phase.
The contingent
Goalkeeper: PR Sreejesh; Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay; Midfielders: Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad; Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh; Alternate Athletes: Nilakanta Sharma (midfielder), Jugraj Singh (defender), Krishan Bahadur Pathak (goalkeeper).
Archery
India are yet to win an Olympic medal in archery. However, one may have a bit of hope from the men’s recurve team in particular, as Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav shocked reigning Olympic champions South Korea in Shanghai this April in what was a historic win for an archery World Cup gold medal after 14 years. That performance in the stage I of the World Cup is an inspiration for the archers.
“Well, they will be a confident unit going into the Games, but how much scope they have of winning a medal is tough to say because in archery, a lot depends on how the weather on the particular day is going to be,” said Indian Olympic Association member Dola Banerjee, a World Cup gold-medallist archer.
The ranking rounds of archery begin on Wednesday.
Tarundeep’s experience will count as this will be his fourth Olympics. But the one to watch out for is the 22-year-old Bommadevara, who’s will be making a debut. He has won 10 international medals in the past 12 months and recently beat Olympic silver medallist Mauro Nespoli of Italy, to clinch individual bronze at the World Cup stage III in Antalya.
He also won a mixed team bronze there with Bhajan Kaur, another debutant at the Games along with her teammate Ankita Bhakat.
“Obviously, those who are participating in the Olympics for the first time, taking part in itself is a big achievement. The excitement of being a first-timer tends to take over, which also reduces the pressure,” Dola said.
Thirty-year-old Deepika Kumari, too, will have a point to prove in her fourth appearance at the Games. The Olympic cycle has been a tough one for the former world No.1. She became a mother two years ago, failed to make the cut for the Indian team following her maternity break, stayed away from her child to train, and went to South Korea’s best archery academy before eventually sealing a Paris berth.
Will luck finally smile on Deepika?
The contingent
Men (recurve): Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav
Women (recurve): Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat
