Paris 2024 Olympics archery: Deepika Kumari, Tarundeep Rai set for fourth Summer Games appearance

India will send a maximum-possible team of six archers to the Paris 2024 Olympics after securing team quotas for both the men’s and women’s recurve events.

The six-member Indian archery team for Paris 2024 was also announced on Tuesday. India will be sending a full quota of archers to the Olympics for the first time since London 2012.

Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai will be making their fourth Olympic appearance in Paris.

Deepika, who became a mother in December 2022, has been a constant fixture in the Indian Olympic archery contingent since London 2012.

Rai, 40, meanwhile, made his Olympic debut at Athens 2004 and represented India at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 as well.

Pravin Jadhav also returns for his second Summer Games after Tokyo 2020.

Dhiraj Bommadevara, who secured an individual men’s quota from the Asian qualifiers in Bangkok last year, and Bhajan Kaur, who obtained an individual women’s quota at the final archery Olympic qualifiers in Antalya earlier this month, also made the team.

Like Dhiraj and Bhajan, Ankita Bhakat will also be making her Olympic debut in Paris.

Though these two were the only Paris 2024 quotas Indian archers managed from direct competition, both were upgraded to team quotas later, allowing India to compete in all five medal events.

According to the Paris 2024 archery qualification criteria, the top two teams per gender in the world rankings as of June 24, who did not obtain team quotas from qualifying tournaments earlier, secured team quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams fulfilled the requirement and the two individual quotas were subsequently upgraded to team quotas.

Countries that secure team quotas can compete in the respective team event for that gender, the mixed team event and field three archers in the individual event.

Indian archers have never won a medal at the Olympics.

Archery competition at Paris 2024 will begin with the individual ranking round on July 25, a day before the Opening Ceremony. The remaining stages will be held from July 28 to August 4 at Les Invalides.

Indian archery team for Paris 2024 Olympics

Men: Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Pravin Jadhav

Women: Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat