Sonepat, May 18: Four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, former India No. 1 Atanu Das and Asian Games medallist Abhishek Verma failed to secure places in India’s archery squad for the upcoming Asian Games after the conclusion of the three-day selection trials held under challenging windy conditions here on Monday.
Teenagers Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod emerged as the standout performers in the women’s recurve category, while Olympian Ankita Bhakat claimed the third and final Asian Games berth after defeating Deepika in a shoot-off.
Kirti topped the trials with 13.5 points ahead of Kumkum, while Ankita and Deepika were tied on 10.75 points before the former prevailed in the decider.
The result means Deepika will miss a second successive Asian Games after also sitting out the 2022 Hangzhou edition following the birth of her daughter. Despite her illustrious career, which includes multiple World Cup medals and a Commonwealth Games title, Deepika is yet to win an individual Asian Games medal.
In the compound section, veteran Jyothi Surekha Vennam was the only experienced archer to qualify. Abhishek endured a disappointing campaign, finishing last among the top-eight archers, while world No. 7 Rishabh Yadav also missed out after ending fourth behind Andhra Pradesh’s Thirumuru Ganesh Mani Ratnam.
The trials selected India’s squad for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and the upcoming World Cup stages.The outcome of the trials signalled a changing of the guard in Indian archery, with several young talents stepping up under pressure and staking their claim on the international stage ahead of the Asian Games. (PTI)
