Indian Archery Team Tops Qualifier, Eyes Paris Olympics

The Indian men's recurve archery team, consisting of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Pravin Jadhav, secured the top seed in the 24-team elimination round at the Final Olympic Qualifier. They will face 17th seed Luxembourg in the last-16. The top-three ranked teams will secure spots for the Paris Olympics.

The Indian men's recurve archery team, comprised of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Pravin Jadhav, successfully entered the 24-team elimination round as the top seed during the Final Olympic Qualifier held on Saturday.

With an impressive score of 2018 points, the trio outperformed Chinese Taipei (2008) and Germany (1998) to secure the pole position on the leaderboard. In total, 46 teams competed, and the top-24 advanced to the elimination round, which features a draw of 32.

As the top finishers, Team India received a bye into the last-16 and will face 17th seed Luxembourg. The top-three ranked nations in the elimination round will earn Paris Olympic quota places in the men's recurve team event. Should India finish among the top-three, their individual quota will be upgraded to a team quota. Notably, Dhiraj Bommadevara had previously secured an individual quota.

On a different note, the Indian women's recurve team, including Deepika Kumari, Bhajan Kaur, and Ankita Bhakat, faced a setback on Friday with a 3-5 loss to lower-ranked Ukraine in the pre-quarterfinals. However, based on their rankings, they still have a chance to qualify ahead of the Paris Olympics cut-off date.