Deepika KUMARI picks up old bow, visits old coach, finds old form

After a difficult season, three-time World Cup Final silver medallist Deepika KUMARI appears to have bounced back. She shot 676 points during the ranking round at Wroclaw 2014 to claim the top recurve women’s seed at the last World Cup stage of the year.

Left out of the Indian squad for Shanghai and Antalya, before recording a zero-ranking-point finish in Medellin, KUMARI turned back to her old coach and her old bow.

“I had been shooting with a new set-up,” she explained: “but it wasn’t good. I wasn’t confident. Last year and this season so far, it just hasn’t been working for me.”

With the bow that helped her collect three World Cup Final silver medals over the last three seasons back in her hand, KUMARI’s shooting is back to its impressive best.

“Today, I shot as I would expect,” said Deepika with a smile.

Although she will need nothing short of a gold medal to be in with a chance of qualifying for Lausanne, this Indian archer – who shot to fame after winning the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, back in 2010 – has regained her confidence.

“I will not be sad if I don’t go to Lausanne,” she tried to claim, before admitting: “well, maybe a little bit sad.”

“I like to shoot in finals, and I like to win,” all said with a devilish smile on her face.

Deepika knows that if she keeps shooting like this, yet another World Cup Final appearance is not out of reach. Whether that happens this year, or another, she wants to do one better than the silvers she’s been accustomed to collecting.

She’s got two top seeds in Wroclaw to take advantage of first.

As well as topping the individual recurve women’s ranking, KUMARI and fifth-seeded man Jayanta TALUKDAR are mixed team favourites.

Tatiana SEGINA, Russia’s new 22-year-old European Champion, finished third in qualification – between her and KUMARI, Mexico’s Aida ROMAN. ROMAN started slow, but a surging finish pushed her up into the top three.

Chinese trio – and top team seeds – CHENG Ming, XU Jing and ZHU Jueman, World Champion Maja JAGER and Mexican athlete Alejandra VALENCIA rounded out the top eight.

Follow results from the last stage of the 2014 Archery World Cup in Wroclaw.

 

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