Deepika Kumari to train in South Korea ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics archery qualifiers

Three-time Olympian Deepika Kumari will head to the Republic of Korea for a 13-day training camp ahead of the final Paris 2024 Olympics qualifying event for archery in Turkiye next month, India’s sports ministry announced on Friday.

The 29-year-old Indian recurve archer was re-inducted into the sports ministry’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Core group in April and will have her training expenditure for the South Korea trip covered along with additional support.

Deepika Kumari will train at the Kim Archery School in Goesan County for 13 days before heading to Antalya, Turkiye for the all-important event.

Deepika displayed great form by winning a silver medal at the Archery World Cup stage in Shanghai last month. It was her second successive medal at the international level since returning from a 14-month maternity break. She won the gold medal at the Asia Cup in February.

Deepika is yet to obtain a quota for India in archery for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Indian archers will have their final chance to obtain a quota for the Paris Games at Stage 3 of the Archery World Cup, to be held in Antalya, Turkiye from June 14 to 17.

Dhiraj Bommadevara, through his silver at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament last year, has secured India’s only quota in archery so far for the upcoming Games.

The Indian sports ministry also approved assistance for Indian track and field athletes Kishore Jena, and Eldhose Paul, badminton player HS Prannoy and women’s skeet shooter Raiza Dhillon.

Asian Games silver medallist javelin thrower Kishore Jena will be given support for the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland and the Paris leg of the Diamond League. Eldhose Paul, the Commonwealth Games champion in the triple jump, will compete in two international events in France.

Prannoy will be assisted for the Australia Open while Raiza Dhillon will get help from an 11-day camp in India and training in Italy with coach Ennio Falco for a week.