Indian Archers won World Cup with old equipment

It is creditable for the Indian recurve trio of Bombayala Devi, Deepika Kumari and Rimil Buriuly to have shot their second straight Archery World Cup title with equipment they used at the London Olympics. What tilted the scales in their favour in Poland was the presence of Korean coach Lim Chae Woong.

The archers arrived here Tuesday to a tepid welcome two days after stunning London Olympics gold medallists South Korea in the World Cup Stage 4 final in Wroclaw, Poland, Sunday. They had defeated China in Stage 3 of the tournament in Medellin, Colombia last month.

Bombayala, the seniormost member of the team, told IANS that Lim made a big difference for them in standing up to a champion side like Korea.

“It was a blessing to have him by our side during the tournament. It was very windy in the final and his tips made us shoot really well. Most of the top teams have Korean coaches as they are the best in the business,” Bombayala told IANS after landing in Aurangabad later Tuesday.

“He told us how to shoot adjusting to the wind direction, where to aim and things like that.”

The women’s team's remarkable success in the last two months has raised expectations besides erasing the disappointment of the London Games.

Bombayala, Deepika and Rimil have been getting support from Olympic Gold Quest, but they expect more from the Archery Association of India (AAI).

“We have no new equipment since the London Olympics. It has been a while since the camp was shifted to Aurangabad and we have been asking for the equipment. Shooting with used bows is not a major issue, but it becomes really difficultly to get grip with the old arrows. Hopefully, we will get the new equipment before the World Championships next month,” said Manipur-born archer Bombayala adding that they also need a physio to travel with them overseas.

“The weather conditions keep changing from country to country and there are times our bodies get stiff. It would be great if we get a full-time physio,” said the 28-year old.

AAI assistant secretary Gunjan Abrol told IANS that the federation has forwarded the archers’ request to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

“We have already asked SAI to order the equipment. It takes some time as the equipment is imported from place like the Netherlands and Sweden,” Abrol said.

And what is the secret of the recurve combination clicking?

“The three of us (including Deepika and Rimil) understand each other well. We are always standing close to where the other team member is setting the target. We also go out in the arena with a free mind. So far it has worked well,” said Bombayala.

When asked about the chaos at the felicitation here in the morning, she said: “We were dog tired and had a 3 p.m. Aurangabad flight to catch. The electronic media would not let us breathe. Deepika was so harassed she got worked up and was in tears.” - IANS