Archer Dhiraj Bommadevara eyes Paris Olympics team quota

Indian recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara said his next big target is securing a quota place in the team events at the Paris Olympics.

"We are trying hard to convert the individual quota into a team quota, so we are working consistently towards it, planning for it and taking part in as many tournaments as possible," Dhiraj was quoted as saying in an SAI release.

Dhiraj is so far the only Indian archer to qualify for the individual event of the Games.

The 22-year-old qualified for the Paris Olympics in the men's individual event after he won a silver medal at the Asian Qualifying Tournament in Bangkok in November 2023.

"Our first priority is to get the team quota. We will go to Paris 2024 with a simple mindset just to give our best. The rest is not in our hands. No expectation on results. We have to be prepared for everything and perform accordingly," said Dhiraj.

The Indian men's recurve team put up a good show at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai last week.

The troika of Dhiraj, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav upset the reigning Olympic champions South Korea to clinch a historic World Cup gold medal for India after 14 years.

The World Cup in Antalya, Turkey in June is the final qualifying event for the Paris Olympics.

Ranking route

However, if the Indian men's team fail to qualify for the Olympics at the event, they will still be up for a berth in the Games due to their superior ranking.

India are currently behind South Korea in the rankings.

Only the top-two ranked team in the world get direct entry for the Games.

Indian archers, despite being a force to reckon with in the international arena, failed to win an Olympic medal.

"We are trying to achieve better versions of our past. We’re not comparing with any other nation. Our priority is only to get better and improve from lessons learnt," said Dhiraj.