Olympics 2024| Dhiraj-Ankita happy with historic feat, sad at losing medal

Paris: The disappointment was writ large on the face of Ankita Bhakat after she and Dhiraj Bommadevara lost in the mixed team bronze medal of archery in Paris Olympics against the American duo of Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold. She didn’t cry like some athletes do but it was quite evident she was trying her best not to let those tears roll down her eyes.

As she walked into the mixed zone still struggling to process how things went south for her in the match against the Americans despite a roaring run for much of the day, Dhiraj comforted her by tapping on her shoulders and telling her to forget the ordeal. But the emotions were still raw for Ankita. The defeat was stinging.

The 28-year-old admitted she allowed the pressure to get the better of herself in the crunch match. “I allowed the pressure to get the better of me. As we kept winning the matches and kept progressing, the thought of winning a medal grew. Apart from pressure, there was a bit of wind too and I couldn’t control them.”

Dhiraj, who was largely brilliant on the day, too echoed Ankita’s feelings but felt this failure, which is actually a success considering no Indian archer had ever reached a medal round bout at the Olympic Games, has taught them a lot of lessons.

“For a lot of people who compete at the Olympics for the first time, just getting a sense of the occasion is a big deal. Playing World Cups and World Cup finals, no one had that inclination. Team-mates like Tarundeep (Rai), Pravin (Jadhav) and Deepika (Kumari) did tell us about the pressures that come with an Olympics. We were prepared for it,” said Dhiraj.

“But coming here, on the first day of the team event itself, we realised there is no limit to that pressure. Yes, I agree the first event everyone faltered quite a bit. But from there on we learnt quite a lot and fought back immediately. We improved internally. Things take time to change and big failures only show us the way forward.

“It's very disappointing when you finish one step short of a medal. But the way we're looking at it is that finishing fourth, which is a first in Indian archery, is a big improvement. There were just a few minor aspects where we lacked to win a medal this time. And we will work on that moving ahead. This defeat will hurt us a lot.”

For a better part of a baking day in Paris, wind stayed away but made its presence felt in the bronze medal bout which tested the Indians. Dhiraj, while admitting they have to work a lot in handling natural elements, felt making on-spot calculations involves a bit of luck.

“Wind is a natural thing and we can’t control it. We need to work hard on how to tackle it. The target is 70 metres away, so a lot of calculations need to be made. The wind where we are standing, wind along the trajectory and wind at the target. And it keeps changing a lot. So 99 percent of the time, luck plays a part in judging it all. No matter what you calculate, what if it changes when you shoot. 

“However, having said that, the experience of playing in big events will make you better. We have been doing so in recent years. Our inability to handle cost us many times in the past but in the recent years we have been able to manage them well. We are improving ourselves,” concluded the archer.