Deepika vows to fight back, debutant Jadhav most impressive

Deepika Kumari competes in the women’s individual archery ranking round at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Pic/AFP

World No. 1 Deepika Kumari was inconsistent but the male archers' performance was simply underwhelming in the Olympics' ranking rounds, prompting a rejig of India's mixed pair combination on a topsy-turvy day at the Yumenoshima Park on Friday.

The Koreans, who stayed away from all international competitions in the build-up to the Olympics since 2019, reigned supreme, including a top-three finish in the women's section where young sensation An San shattered a 25-year-old Olympic record.

The Indian men's team of Atanu Das, Pravin Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai, however, did not post particularly impressive scores and just about managed to sneak into top 10 in the team rankings.

Deepika slipped from fourth at the halfway mark to finish ninth with 663 points which was way below her best International ranking score of 686.

"I feel my performance was good as well as bad...it was in between I would say," Deepika said. Deepika's biggest challenge is likely to be in the last-eight where she might run into San who is making her Olympic debut. Two years after she lost at the same venue to San at the ‘Tokyo 2020 Test Event' here, Deepika would look to avenge her final defeat.

"I want to show my best performance here and I will show that in my next rounds," Deepika vowed to come back strong.

In fact, there will be Korea in waiting for the Indians in the quarter-finals of both men's team and mixed pair competition. India had identical rankings of ninth in both men's team and mixed pair competitions.

Son of a daily wage labourer from Satara district, Jadhav was the best among the Indian trio with 656 points for a 31st place finish.

Deepika and Jadhav for mixed pair event

Deepika Kumari will partner Pravin Jadhav in the archery mixed pair event of the Olympic Games after the debutant was preferred by the team think-tank ahead of her husband and more experienced Atanu Das based on form shown in Friday's qualification round. The mixed pair competition, which will make its Games debut here on Saturday, is seen as India's best medal hope in archery, in which the country is yet to win an Olympic medal.

Also Read: Tokyo Olympics: Well begun is half won!

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The new world record score by Korean An San at the women's individual archery qualification round in Tokyo

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