Indian archer Deepika Kumari recently secured a victory in the women's final of the Asia Cup's first leg in Baghdad, Iraq. The win marked her first since her return to the shooting range after maternity leave.
In an interview with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the 29-year-old mother to a one-year-old girl expressed joy at returning to the competitions. "I just wanted to shoot and get back to form. I was shooting after a long time and had no expectations, I just wanted to perform, nothing else," she said.
Acknowledging the existence of pressure, Kumari clarified that it primarily stemmed from the team's internal expectations. "I don’t deny there’s pressure…but not from external expectations. It’s because of our expectations of ourselves," she added.
The Queen of #Archery Speaks!
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) March 1, 2024
Back to her happy place, 's star Archer @ImDeepikaK made a raging comeback at the Asia Cup Stage -1, marking her return to international stage!
In an exclusive chit-chat with @Media_SAI, Deepika speaks on her performance in Baghdad.
Listen… pic.twitter.com/D3ITEhHYVL
The archer outlined her strategic approach, emphasizing the significance of excelling in the last qualifying event and the remaining three World Cups to secure an Olympic berth. "We will leave no stone unturned to qualify for the Olympics and win a medal in Paris," she asserted.
Kumari credited her recent success to her training at an institute where technical aspects of her game were meticulously addressed. "I had never been there before, but my husband Atanu (Das) had been there a few times. He kept saying it’s a brilliant institute. I just thought why not give it a try? There were a lot of technical things we worked on, like correcting my grip, my balance and believe me, it has really helped," she underlined.
Following her recent victory, Kumari reflected on her achievement, expressing both satisfaction and a sense of expectation. "It’s good, but I expected this victory. The match was good, but I deserve this title because I have been preparing hard. Now I’m happy it’s resulted in winning."
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