Archers Deepika, Bombayla, Laxmirani named in Rio squad

The Archery Association of India (AAI) on Monday announced a three-member women's squad comprising Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Majhi for the Rio Olympics after a series of selection trials over the last three months.

The trio will compete in the individual events as well as team event at the quadrennial Games, slated to be held from August 5 to 21 in Rio de Janiero.

The archers earned three individual berths and a team quota by virtue of the team's performance at the World Championships in Copenhagen last year.

"After rigorous six stages of selection trials and training over three-and-a-half months starting in January in Jamshedpur, then at Delhi and finally in Bengaluru, the Archery Association of India selected the three-member women's team for the Rio Olympic Games," the association said in a release.

The association also named a three-member men's team consisting Jayanta Talukdar, Atanu Das, Mangal Singh Champia for the third stage World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, next month in order to have a shot at Olympic berths.

India has earned one individual spot for the Olympics in men's archery during the World Championships last year.

If the men's team qualifies at Antalya, it will also secure two more individual berths for the Olympics, in addition to the one spot already secured.

In the event the men's team does not qualify in Antalya, AAI will conduct a selection trial to pick one archer from among the three to compete in the men's individual event at the Rio Olympics.

The AAI said that during the three-and-a-half month period of selection trials and training, the top six men and women archers participated in Antalya and also had match practice with several other archers from European nations.

The top four men and women archers then participated in the first stage World Cup at Shanghai.

The AAI further added that both the women's and men's team will compete at the third stage World Cup in Antalyanext month, where Rimil Buruily and Rahul Banerjee will join as fourth members in the women's and men's teams.

--IANS

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