Perfect 10 for Indian women archers

Those in the stands shouting ‘Jai Ho’ were equally responsible for the win,something chief coach Limba Ram accepted and was thankful for after the match. “That is why playing at home is an advantage,the crowd is with you. This adds to the pressure for the visitors,and that’s what happened today,” he told The Indian Express.

But the same crowd could not propel the men’s recurve team as the latter faltered against eventual champions Australia in the semifinals 211-216,before bouncing back to claim the bronze. Ironically,the men were considered sure winners even before the competition began while the women were given only a half chance.

As the Englishwomen shot an incredible 29 out of 30 in their first shots of the final round,there were few people willing to bet on an Indian win. India had trailed from the word go they were behind by four points after the first round,L Bombayala Devi shooting a 6 pointer to drail India’s hopes. The Indians reduced the margin in the second but,going into the fourth and final round,they were still trailing. And by the way England were shooting,it was a tough ask.

Bombayala Devi and Deepika shot nine each in their final attempts to stay in the hunt,then Dola Banerjee,the seniormost in the team,stepped up. Inspired by Deepika when she released her final arrow,there was a calmness on her face,a belief that it was,perhaps,supposed to be India’s day. She scored a 10 and the onus was on England. “Dola is the senior most member of the team and the camaraderie helps us a lot,” Deepika said.

The Indian men,meanwhile,were hard pressed to explain their loss. “Even the score they shot to win bronze was pretty low by our standards,” said Limba Ram.