Deepika Kumari says motherhood made her calmer and a better archer

For Indian archer Deepika Kumari, the last couple of years have been a rollercoaster ride.

Since returning to archery just 28 days after becoming a mother for the first time in December 2022, Deepika, a former world No. 1, had to endure a series of disappointments in 2023 as she failed to make it into the national team.

“When I was attempting to come back, I was making minor errors and losing out in the trials. It built up some frustration in me but I was powered by Atanu’s backing. He nudged me to get back to the field and keep trying,” Deepika, who is married to fellow Indian archer Atanu Das, recalled during an interaction with Oneturf news.

The 30-year-old Deepika Kumari, however, persevered through the tough times before finally managing to break back into the national setup for the Asia Cup 2024 Leg 1 in Baghdad held in March after winning the trials in Sonipat earlier the same month.

“I told myself ‘Deepika, you are alive!’ I was happy. My performance told me that I was not imagining the hunger to do well for the country. I want to keep winning as long as I can,” she noted.

Deepika won a gold medal at Baghdad and won a silver in the World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai in April before making the semi-finals in World Cup Stage 2 in Yecheon the next month.

Deepika Kumari also played an integral role in helping India secure a women’s team quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics via rankings and went on to compete in her fourth straight Summer Games. She made the quarter-finals in the individual category.

To put Deepika’s progress in 2024 into perspective, she began the year as the world No. 446 in women’s recurve rankings and ended it at No. 3.

While her road back after becoming a mother was a challenging one, Deepika feels motherhood, alongside her marriage to Atanu, has only helped her grow into a better athlete.

“As an athlete, I have not seen myself differently either after marriage or motherhood. But now that I think about it, I guess I am a bit calmer. In fact, some people have told me this and I did not realise it. Yes, that calmness has helped me get less angry with myself than before,” Deepika explains.

Through her comeback trail, the Indian archer also had to wade through some sharp criticism and trolling on social media, which peaked after her quarter-final exit from Paris 2024.

“I did not pay any attention to expectation or the lack of it in the wake of my qualifying for the fourth Olympic Games in-a-row this year. After being trolled, I realised early that most people flip their opinions of an athlete depending only on the results,” Deepika said, addressing how she faced the criticisms.

“I told myself that they do not know the effort turned in by the athletes but only build expectations and react to performances,” she added.

Deepika Kumari signed off by saying that she is now more motivated than ever to represent and win for India on the international stage.

“I am determined, resolute and even adamant that I want to win something. It does not matter how many attempts I have made in the Olympic Games. I am still playing and will always back my talent as long as I have the ability to keep sharpening it, adding layers to make my game more effective. I will keep trying,” she concluded.