‘We have our own personal pressure to do well at the Olympics’

Iam happy to have won at the World Cup. After a long hiatus, we needed a win to bolster our confidence, both on an individual and team level. It was important to figure out where we stand,” says Deepika Kumari, India’s archery medal prospect at the Tokyo Olympics, who bagged gold at the World Cup Stage I in Guatemala City, recently.

The pandemic has been hard on the two-time Olympian. But, things looked bright briefly, when she got hitched to fellow archer Atanu

Das in June 2020. “In the beginning, it was great! We spent a lot of time with family. Soon, that gave way to boredom, stress about future games. It was weird for us, as sportspersons, to work without a concrete plan,” she recalls.

Now, Kumari and Das have both qualified for the Tokyo games, making them India’s first couple in that arena! Presently training at Pune’s Army Sports Institute along with Das, she says, “It is exciting to be the first, but it doesn’t affect us. We have our own personal pressure to do well at the Olympics.”

Kumari, who rose to fame after winning a gold at the Commonwealth Games, at 15, says her third Olympic tryst is going to be challenging: “We aren’t getting to play as many tournaments as we usually do. We haven’t won a medal in archery yet, that’s also a lingering concern. But, I’m learning how to control my thoughts… This sport is all about controlling your mind to perform better.”

The Ranchi-born 26-yearold is no stranger to hard work and grit, as exhibits her dream journey from penury to podiums. “I picked up archery at 13, when I got selected to train at Seraikela-kharsawan archery academy, Jharkhand. My family’s condition wasn’t great, and my aim was to reduce the financial pressure on them,” she says, adding, “I hope we win a medal this year and take the sport to greater heights!”