Deepika Kumari to partner Pravin Jadhav in mixed pair competition
Deepika Kumari will partner Pravin Jadhav in the archery mixed pair event of the Olympic Games after the debutant was preferred by the think-tank ahead of her husband and experienced Atanu Das based on the form shown in Friday's qualification round. The mixed pair competition is being seen as India's best medal hope in archery where India is yet to win an Olympic medal.
India secured ninth place ranking for the mixed pair competition
Based on the combined scores of Jadhav and Kumari, who finished ninth earlier in the day, India secured a similar ninth place ranking for the mixed pair competition. India had the option to send entries of Das and Kumari, who recently won a gold medal together at the Paris World Cup, but the federation went ahead with Jadhav.
We picked Jadhav based on his current form: AAI Official
"Simply put, we picked Jadhav based on his current form, it's no rocket science," said Archery Association of India (AAI) Official Virendra Sachdeva, who is accompanying the team in Tokyo. Das and Kumari, who tied the knot last year, are the first Indian couple to take part in the same discipline at the Olympics.
Jadhav and Kumari will hopefully do well together: Sachdeva
"We could have also chosen Tarundeep Rai being the most experienced. We decided to give Jadhav the opportunity based on his performance in the ranking round," Sachdeva said. In all likelihood, India would run into top seed Korea in the quarters after overcoming eighth-ranked Kazakhstan. "Jadhav is a new talent, while Kumari has got the experience. Hopefully, they will do well together," he added.
Indian men registered failure in the individual ranking round
"Despite tremendous pressure, the players are trying to give their best," he said. There was disappointment in store in the men's individual ranking round at the Yumenoshima Park as the Indian trio of Das, Jadhav and veteran Rai finished in the bottom half.
Jadhav was the best among the Indians with 656 points
Jadhav was the best among the Indians with 656 points for a 31st place finish, three points ahead of India's number one Das, while Rai, in his third Olympics appearance, took the 37th spot among 64 archers. The entries for mixed pairs are submitted within 45 minutes of the conclusion of individual events.
