The Indian archers once again let themselves down. Every Olympic Games they come with the hope of winning a medal only to buckle under the pressure.
If the women’s team — Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat — performed abysmally on Sunday, the men had a familiar story to tell the next day.
The trio of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Pravin Jadhav made a quarter-final exit losing 6-2 to Turkey at Invalides leaving fans thinking why archers consistently falter at the Games. The women had lost 6-0 to the Netherlands.
“It’s sad. It’s a disaster. They are capable of doing much better. I do not understand why we botch up in the Olympic Games,” Dola Banerjee, Olympian archer and Indian Olympic Association executive council member, told The Telegraph from the venue on Monday.
“You cannot score four in an Olympic Games quarter-final match,” Banerjee was talking about the Calcutta girl Ankita Bhakat’s four-ring shot. Deepika Kumari was also subjected to uncalled-for harsh words on social media after the flop show.
Much was expected from the men’s trio. They were world No. 2, had a World Cup win over South Korea and Dhiraj was billed as a prospective medal winner after defeating Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mauro Nespoli.
It looked like India would finally end the Olympic jinx in archery. Included in the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, India have never managed to cross the last eight hurdle.
“It’s poor mental make-up. There is nothing more in this. We just do not have enough nerve,” Dola’s brother and Olympian Rahul felt. “You cannot complain about the wind since the conditions are the same for archers of other countries too. We are just not good enough,” he added.
On Sunday Bhajan Kaur, the 18-year-old from Haryana, shot 56 out of 60 points, butthe two seasoned campaigners, Deepika and Ankita, faltered with scores of 48 and 46 respectively.
In the men’s match, Dhiraj failed miserably. Tarundeep’s experience — the 40-year-old is a four-time Olympian having made his debut in Athens — was of little help too.
Dhiraj admitted he was not up to the mark.
“I was a bit nervous but by then it’s a little late to make a comeback. I need to work more on myself,” he said.
The wind, mental toughness and technique can make or break an Olympic dream in archery. But why Indian archers, who are good on theworld stage, freeze under the Olympics pressure remains a mystery.
Days before the Games, South Korean archery coachBaek Woongki did not get the accreditation for Paris. That was the last thing archers had expected. Their last hope? A better show in the individual and mixed events.