Archery
Tokyo Olympics introduces heart rate tracker in Archery, newest technology in the sport
The new feature shows the heart rate of the Archers while taking the shots.
Cameras have been set up around the venue in Tokyo to determine heart rate. (Image: IOC)
The World Archery Federation has now introduced a heart rate calculating feature for the first time ever in the sport. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics featured the heart rates of the participating archers for the first time in history on the broadcasting feed for the audience showcasing the amount of stress and pressure an archer goes through while going for the bulls-eye.
The individual archery events are featuring the heart rate on the broadcasting screen. The feature is not available at the venues to not distract the archers.
Deepika Kumari is one archer who has always succumbed to pressure and circumstances in the previous two Olympic games and it was no surprise that the new heart rate feature showed her in immense stress yet again.
Deepika Kumari's heart rate against Karma of Bhutan in the 1/32 elimination round was around 90bpm despite the Bhutanese being a much easier opponent.
Kumari had her heart rate around 70 bpm in the early shots against Jennifer Fernandez but it skyrocketed to 140 when she had to make a perfect 10 in the fourth set to keep the contest alive.
Phewww! #DeepikaKumari makes it to the next round!
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) July 28, 2021
The Indian defeated Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez of USA in a tight 1/16 Eliminations Round encounter.
🇮🇳 6⃣ - 4⃣ 🇺🇸
Deepika will play her 1/8 Eliminations match on Friday.#Tokyo2020 | #Archery pic.twitter.com/WUovQYXmLx
India's Kumari was not the only one who showed stress in the event. No. 1 seed Kim Je Deok from South Korea was also exposed to increased stress.
His heart rate also was around 150s as the German archer Florian Unruh scripted a massive upset to win the game, 7-3. However, on the contrary, two-time Kim Woojin showed high levels of composure as he only had his heartbeat float around the 70s despite the upset.
Interestingly, Kim Woojin of South Korea only showed heart rates around the 70s in the Round of 32, showing utmost composure.
World Archery collaborated with Panasonic to set up cameras around the venue to measure the heart rate. The cameras focus on the change of skin colour and movement of the pupils to determine the heart rate.
The introduction of this feature will allow fans and sports science alike to dwelve deeper into the dynamic of Archery and focus more on stress management.
