Tokyo Olympics: No fans, no fluttering heart for Deepika Kumari

On a typically hot summer day, Deepika Kumari stood next to a placard that pronounced her world No. 1, going absolutely still as she took aim inside the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field on Friday. For some reason, Kumari has never been comfortable with the top status. The OIympics, the biggest stage of them all, has weighed her down in the past, and her wealth of experience has not really helped.

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Tokyo though has felt different. The absence of exuberant fans in the stands, Kumari feels, will be an advantage.

At the 2012 London Olympics, which the teenager entered as the world’s best recurve archer, Kumari lost in the first round. Four years on in Rio, she made it to the round of 16. The reticent archer from Ranchi is the face of the sport in India though she faces criticism for not delivering at the Olympics.

In Tokyo, she began a fresh quest for Olympic medal in the individual round by being placed ninth with a score of 663 in the ranking round of 72 arrows. The heat and high humidity made life difficult for many archers. Russia’s Svetlana Gombeova fainted and had to be attended to by doctors on the field. The day temperature in Tokyo is expected to remain above 30 degrees Celsius throughout the Games.

The sun didn’t affect Kumari, though she was candid about a different kind of heat at previous Games. “It is different from any other championships. The pressure is much more. There are so many expectations,” she said.

Coming from the tribal belt in Ranchi, Kumari is not comfortable being in spotlight. In the run up to the Tokyo Games, the world No. 1 tag has again come to her. Perhaps, the subdued Tokyo atmosphere may prove perfect for her temperament. Asked about it, Kumari hesitates before acknowledging that the empty seats may be what she needs.

“There are different challenges to this Olympics. We have so many protocols to follow. But the crowd not being here could turn out to be an advantage,” she says.

Her recent form and performances should add to her confidence. The 27-year-old warmed up nicely for the Games by winning gold in the Guatemala City World Cup. She is careful though not to get ahead of herself.

“I am just thinking of taking one step at a time. The focus was on individual rounds. I have done better, but I am shooting with confidence.”

Kumari has been working with a psychologist to get a grip on the nerves. “You have to know how to handle tough situations during a match and remain calm. That is the key.”

This time, she is in a better head space with husband and teammate Atanu Das in her corner. The couple was hoping to be paired for the mixed team event but Das ended second, behind Pravin Jadhav, among Indians in the ranking round. Kumari will thus pair up with Jadhav in mixed team competition on Saturday. They meet Chinese Taipei in the first round of elimination.

South Korean women, a cut above the rest in world archery, cruised through setting world records. All their three archers—An San, Jang Minhee and Kang Chaeyoung—who had come into a competition for the first time since the pandemic, bettered the Olympic record (673). An San set the new mark of 680 points. South Korea’s combined team total (2032) was also a record.

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