Indian archers ready to capitalise on Olympics if South Korea slips up

South Korea has topped the archery medal table at every Games since its home Olympics in 1988, but there are signs its dominance could be fading as a host of other nations, notably India, close the gap.

The Koreans, who made their Olympic archery debut at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, have won a total of 43 medals – 27 gold, nine silver and seven bronze – and have won every women’s team event since its introduction in 1988.

However, their below-par performances in the pre-Olympic and World Cup events suggest they may struggle to maintain their grip on major medals in Paris.

At the Antalya World Cup in Turkey in June, they failed to medal in the women’s individual event while winner Kim Woo-jin was the only South Korean on the podium in the men’s event.

The wealth of talent in South Korea is such that many consider the task of making the Olympic team even more difficult than winning a medal at the Games.

An San will not defend his individual title in Paris after failing to qualify for the national trials in March.

The 23-year-old, despite being the target of online harassment due to her short haircut, became the first archer to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games in Tokyo.

While China, France and Germany will seek to exploit any weakness in South Korea in Paris, India may well be the surprise.

India, which has never won an Olympic medal in archery, will send a full six-member contingent to Paris to compete in all five events for the first time in 12 years after the men’s and women’s teams were given quotas based on the final world rankings updated in June.

Dhiraj Bommadevara, who won silver at the Asian Continental Qualifiers in Bangkok in November, secured India’s first individual quota spot in the men’s event and is determined to write a new chapter in his country’s Olympic history.

“It’s all about getting the first Olympic medal,” he said after leading India to a historic team gold at the Shanghai World Cup in April.

“We are only focused on gold because nothing is impossible. We are tired of working very hard and not getting a medal. For Paris, we are preparing and working very hard.”

Bommadevara was joined by 40-year-old Tarundeep Rai and rising star Pravin Jadhav for victory over the South Koreans in Shanghai, claiming a first men’s crown in 14 years.

On the women’s side, things are also looking promising, with teenager Bhajan Kaur, who won mixed team bronze with Bommadevara in Antalaya, joining the more experienced Deepika Kumari, who is on her way to her fourth Olympics.

Former world number one Kumari returned to the international stage after a 14-month break following the birth of her first child in 2022.

She is in great form, winning gold in the women’s individual event at the Asian Cup in Baghdad in February and silver at the World Cup in Shanghai in April.

From July 25 to August 4, archery events will take place on the Esplanade des Invalides.