Tokyo Olympics: World no. 1 archer Deepika Kumari crashes out in quarters

Deepika Kumari Mahato is an Indian professional archer. Currently ranked the World No. 1, she completes in the event of archery. She won a gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth games in the women’s individual recurve event. She also won a gold medal in the same competition in the women’s team recurve event along with Dola Banerjee and Bombayala Devi.

Deepika Kumari scripted history at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by becoming the first archer from India to reach the quarter-final stages at the Games. She defeated Ksenia Perova of the Russian Olympic Committee in a shoot-out to make it to the last eight. With the match tied 5-5, the Indian fired a 10 while the Russian fumbled to hit a 7.

However, she has to return home empty-handed from her 3rd Olympic campaign as she lost her women’s individual quarter-finals to the Korean sensation An San 0-6. Deepika came up with an ordinary show as she had 4 arrows of 7 against the top seed Korean, who is eyeing her 3rd gold medal at the Tokyo Games. An San, the 20-year-old, has already won the Women’s team and Mixed team event in Tokyo.

“It was a disappointing performance, and I could not perform up to my expectations,” Deepika said after the match. Atanu Das, India’s lone archer left in the competition also lost to 46th seed Takaharu Furukawa of Japan 4-6 in the pre-quarterfinals of the men’s individual event on Saturday.