Indian archers adjusting well to London weather

London - Indian archers are adjusting well to the unpredictable London weather and look in top shape ahead of the Olympic competition beginning at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground here on Friday.

The Indian team that boasts of women World No.1 archer Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayala Devi, Chekrovolu Swuro, Tarundeep Rai, Rahul Banerjee and Jayanta Talkudar initially faced problems while practising in cold and windy conditions.

But after a week’s training at the Nursery Ground in Lord’s the archers are now getting into the groove, said women’s coach Purnima Mahato.

“It has been a week since we are here now. The first few days were cold and now it’s comfortable. As they say it is difficult to predict about the London weather,” Mahato told IANS on the sidelines of a training session at Lord’s on Tuesday.

“Deepika still has a slight cold. But the positive is that the team has adjusted well to the local condition. They are shooting well and are having sessions in the morning and evening. But no one can say how the wind is going to be on the day of competition so anything can happen,” she said.

Expectations are high from archers, who start their campaign on the morning of the opening ceremony in the men’s and women’s team events. The women’s team is ranked world No.2 while the men’s team is world No.3.

The ranking round will be held on Friday at the Nursery Ground at Lord’s and the medal round will be held in the main stadium on Saturday.

Considering the schedule, Mahato said it was unlikely that archers will be a part of the opening ceremony.

“We have rounds on the day of the ceremony and a day after that. So it will be tough to prepare for the competition if they attend the opening ceremony,” she said.

The hype around the archery event is immense ever since it was announced the discipline would take place at Lord’s. Mahato did not read too much into the fact saying it was only a cricketing venue.

“It is good there is growing interest in archery as it is happening at Lord’s. But for archers it does not really make much of a difference. We are yet to practice in the main area so all of us are looking forward to it. So far we have been training at the Nursery Ground,” he said.

Deepika and Talkudar have the experience of competing at the historical cricket venue. The duo represented India in an exhibition match in 2007 also featuring China and the US.