If there's one sport where the cliche "on that day, anything can happen" holds completely true then it's archery. Take the case of the Indian archery team in the 2012 London Olympics. The Indian team comprising Deepika Kumari and Bombayala Devi, among others, were not the favourites for a medal but were considered a big threat. Not many expected them to come back with a medal, but then again not many hoped they would fare miserably. "One bad day and our dreams were in tatters," says Kumari who held the world number one rank in archery in 2012.
Kumari and her team-mates buried the ghosts of London last week in Wroclaw, Poland, by winning the recurve World Cup. Kumari, along with Bombayala Devi and Rimil Buriuly, beat favourites South Korea in the final and came back victorious.
However, the World Cup win is already a thing of the past for them. "We move on to the next event, which is the World Championships to be held next month in France. We want to continue winning more for our country," says 19-year-old Kumari. There's little time to celebrate as the archers are back in Aurangabad for a national camp to prepare for the event. "The next two years are extremely important for us with the Asian Games where we will face a tough challenge, and then the Rio Olympics in 2016," she says.
The archery team has a good mix of youth and experience - Devi is 28, while Buriuly is 22 - and is confident after the heroics in Poland. The archers have been supported by the Olympic Gold Quest initiative and are hoping they'll get more financial support. "We will be participating in training camps for next 12 months without a break as events will come quick and fast," says Devi.
The presence of a foreign coach, South Korean Lim Chae Woong, has been a shot in the arm for the archers. The team was earlier coached by former archer Limba Ram, but Lim's presence has been a big boost, say the archers. "He has helped us psychologically and tells us not to buckle under pressure," says Devi. "His motivation skills are exemplary and he has a lot of experience," says Kumari.
The archers aren't too concerned about the reception they got or whether monetary rewards come their way. "Recognition and rewards are good but then our focus always has been to do well in every event," says Devi. This is the team's second World Cup triumph and they say that adding the World Championships would be the perfect boost before they begin preparations for the Asian Games.
The Korean team, which they beat at the World Cup, won the gold medal at the London Olympics. "They're the best team in the world and we will have many tough contests with them in the future, especially in the Asian Games," says Kumari. This event, in many ways, was a stepping stone, says Devi. "That we beat Korea makes it even more important."
Like many other sports in India, archers too feel short-changed by the authorities. There wasn't a physio travelling with the team in Poland and Kumari says that the three of them took turns to massage each other's shoulders to avoid unnecessary injuries. "It's a demanding sport and we hope that we do get a travelling physio with us for future events," she adds.
For the last eight months, the team had been rigorously training together, which has certainly improved their team work. "The improvement in our individual game play has resulted in us better playing as a team as well," says Kumari.
The euphoria of Poland hasn't lasted long as they're back in training at Aurangabad. It's a three-week camp before they fly off to France, so there are no celebrations. "It's practice, practice and more practice till the Asian Games at least," says Kumari. Their London dreams might have been shattered but the archers are hoping to hit the bull's-eye in future events and make sure that one bad day doesn't come back to haunt them in Rio de Janiero.
Kumari and her team-mates buried the ghosts of London last week in Wroclaw, Poland, by winning the recurve World Cup. Kumari, along with Bombayala Devi and Rimil Buriuly, beat favourites South Korea in the final and came back victorious.
However, the World Cup win is already a thing of the past for them. "We move on to the next event, which is the World Championships to be held next month in France. We want to continue winning more for our country," says 19-year-old Kumari. There's little time to celebrate as the archers are back in Aurangabad for a national camp to prepare for the event. "The next two years are extremely important for us with the Asian Games where we will face a tough challenge, and then the Rio Olympics in 2016," she says.
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The presence of a foreign coach, South Korean Lim Chae Woong, has been a shot in the arm for the archers. The team was earlier coached by former archer Limba Ram, but Lim's presence has been a big boost, say the archers. "He has helped us psychologically and tells us not to buckle under pressure," says Devi. "His motivation skills are exemplary and he has a lot of experience," says Kumari.
The archers aren't too concerned about the reception they got or whether monetary rewards come their way. "Recognition and rewards are good but then our focus always has been to do well in every event," says Devi. This is the team's second World Cup triumph and they say that adding the World Championships would be the perfect boost before they begin preparations for the Asian Games.
The Korean team, which they beat at the World Cup, won the gold medal at the London Olympics. "They're the best team in the world and we will have many tough contests with them in the future, especially in the Asian Games," says Kumari. This event, in many ways, was a stepping stone, says Devi. "That we beat Korea makes it even more important."
Like many other sports in India, archers too feel short-changed by the authorities. There wasn't a physio travelling with the team in Poland and Kumari says that the three of them took turns to massage each other's shoulders to avoid unnecessary injuries. "It's a demanding sport and we hope that we do get a travelling physio with us for future events," she adds.
For the last eight months, the team had been rigorously training together, which has certainly improved their team work. "The improvement in our individual game play has resulted in us better playing as a team as well," says Kumari.
The euphoria of Poland hasn't lasted long as they're back in training at Aurangabad. It's a three-week camp before they fly off to France, so there are no celebrations. "It's practice, practice and more practice till the Asian Games at least," says Kumari. Their London dreams might have been shattered but the archers are hoping to hit the bull's-eye in future events and make sure that one bad day doesn't come back to haunt them in Rio de Janiero.