Just watched Deepika Kumari lose her spot in the Olympics archery semi finals. If someone like me who has done absolutely nothing in sports at any level, feels depressed, I wonder what these sports champions are made of. What amazing mental strength to come back and play again and again !!
Who is Deepika Kumari ?
Just read this short write-up about Deepika Kumari on the Olympics.com website. I just took a screenshot of the same –
I don’t know about you but I have goosebumps reading about Deepika Kumari. It also says a lot about why Bharat does not win many medals at the Olympics. Our country has to do a lot for sports infrastructure and has to spend significant sums of money to develop the sporting talent. Despite all the challenges, Deepika Kumari missed an Olympic medal by a whisker !!!! Imagine if she had had all the facilities she needed from her childhood – she would have been a medal winner in all the four Olympics that she participated in.
She is ranked number 12 in the world archery rankings … she was world number 1 for a couple of years, and has spent most of her career amongst the world’s top 5 women archers. That is unbelievable given her background. What an absolute inspiration, right amidst us and so young. Deepika is just 30, please show me many other 30 year olds who have so many medals under their belt.
We also need to acknowledge what the Tata group has done for India. Deepika Kumari was trained at the Tata Archery Academy, Jamshedpur. Whoever in the Tata group identified the natural talent for archery in the tribal areas must be commended. This academy has produced world class archers.
Thank You Deepika for being a huge inspiration for Bharatiya women … you have done us proud many times over. So what if the elusive Olympics medal remained elusive this time too. You gave it your all and that’s what matters. Thank You 🙏
Jai Hind.