Archery: India hope to find the zone in Asiad too

NEW DELHI: There were three gold medals to show but overall India's display was not something to gloat about. Well, that is the mood in the Indian camp as they train their bows for the forthcoming Asian Games next month.

"We should have won at least four gold medals. It's a bit disappointing," remarked Rahul Banerjee, who won the individual recurve gold, encapsulating the mood, a day after the archery events concluded at the Yamuna Sports Complex.

The men's failure to justify the top billing in team recurve championship besides Jayanta Talukdar and Dola Banerjee faltering ahead of the individual finals meant that England and Australia had a field day.

English archers, in fact, emerged the undisputed rulers in compound category, winning all four gold on offer. It was also a historic moment for wheelchair-user Danielle Brown, who became the first Paralympian to compete in an able-bodied event at the CWG and claimed glory as part of England's compound team.

Yet, Deepika Kumari provided the golden glow. The way this 17-year-old girl from Ranchi blew away England's five-time Olympian Alison Williamson was fairytale stuff. Deepika will need to carry the momentum to the Asian Games where the challenge is more pronounced with the presence of traditional powerhouses like South Korea and China.

But she is confident of breaking India's wait for a medal at the Asian Games and Olympics. "Her hunger for success is an education for everybody who wants to make archery as a sporting career," said Dola, guardian and inspiration for the teenager.

With accolades and financial windfall coming in thick and fast (Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda has announced an award of Rs 10 lakh for her), she looks poised for more glory.

The focus, thus, at the national camp which gets under way at the SAI Eastern Centre from Tuesday, should be on reshuffling the men's team composition. Tarundeep Rai's lacklustre form here (he failed to make the individual recurve quarters) is a worry which demands immediate remedy. Perhaps, it is time Mangal Champia was recalled for the Asian Games.

Deepika and others, however, will have little time to celebrate their CWG show since 'Destination Guangzhou' is already on the horizon.

How the Indians fared (8 medals)

Gold (3): Deepika Kumari (women's Recurve individual), Rahul Banerjee (men's Recurve individual), Dola Banerjee, Deepika & Bombayala Devi (women's team Recurve)
Silver (1): Men's team Compound (Ritul, Jignas and Srither)
Bronze (4): Dola (individual Recurve), Jayanta (individual Recurve), Men's team Recurve and Women's team Compound

TOI

All for CWG, Asiad off radar

BANGALORE: The extended ego trip over next year's Commonwealth Games might have taken India's focus away from an equally daunting task which they will face in Guangzhou from November 12-27 next year - the Asian Games. The argument the central government and the Indian Olympic Association have fallen back on - that the country's best are already preparing for the CWG - may be true in some disciplines but in others, they are in the danger of falling woefully behind target.

With the Asiad just 16 months away, disciplines which do not figure in the CWG are yet to receive the kind of training and financial package that has already been provided for the Delhi event. Among those disciplines suffering on this count are volleyball, basketball, cue sports, equestrian, judo, rowing, sailing and canoeing.

In talks with federations which were deprived of special care ever since the CWG training schedule was implemented last year, the government seemingly showed the empathy and keenness in preparing the teams for the Asian Games but did not care to translate them into elaborate plans.

The ambivalence was obvious as many sports administrators couldn't figure out why the government —which knew that hardly 29 days separated the CWG and the Asian Games — did not prefer to announce a consolidated plan for the two multi-sport events. Now, according to ministry sources, individual packages are being worked out for these sports disciplines and will be ready in the next 15 days. "No doubt, there has been a delay in chalking out a plan for the Asian Games.

Many factors, including the elections are to be blamed for this," sources told TOI. "But we have been working on this front for the last one month. We should be announcing the allocation and the training plan very soon. There would be no dearth of funds for consumables, exposure etc."

But to many of the sports administrators, the delay in formulating a plan is of much concern as they feel it may create an imbalance in terms of training and number of exposure tours. "We have just the World Championship qualifiers in August (for seniors) and the World Junior Championship in Pune serving as match practice as of now," A Ramana Rao, assistant secretary of Volleyball Federation of India, said.

There is a sense of deprivation in other sports too. Some have even complained of limited camp days with the CWG sports being given preference in most SAI centres. What is also jarring is the physical divide created by the enhanced allowances and special privileges for CWG athletes.

Athletes at the South Centre are quick to point to separate dining sections for CWG probables. "With their diet being different - they are allotted Rs 450 per day as against Rs 250 for other trainees - CWG athletes are encouraged to sit separately. They have their own list of food supplements, all approved by the government. But the others aren't as privileged, as diet and supplements will have to come well within the Rs 250 mark."

Soruce:TOI