The curious case of Deepika Kumari Mahato at the Olympics
What was once said for Sachin Tendulkar and the World Cup, the same can be said for Deepika Kumari Mahato and the Olympics. There was a time when people wondered why Sachin Tendulkar never managed to win the World Cup, despite being the world's best cricketer.
Deepika Kumari is one of the world's best archers. She has bagged umpteen medals to her credit. However, to everyone's surprise, when it comes to the Olympics, the same archer mysteriously falters.
Recently, the famous Indian archer won three back-to-back gold medals at the Archery World Cup. She is back in the top 3 of the archery world rankings as of now. Deepika Kumari is also the only Indian female archer to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics as of now.
Deepika Kumari's challenge at the Olympics
So why is Deepika Kumari's case so curious? Hailing from Jharkhand, the daughter of an auto-rickshaw driver, shot to fame with her gold medal performances at the Commonwealth Games. She won a gold medal in the individual recurve, as well as the team recurve event.
At the Asian Games, she played an important role in giving India a bronze medal in the women's team event.
However, her talents surprisingly go for a toss when it comes to the Olympics. When Deepika arrived at London in 2012, she was ranked no. 1 in the world. She was also allotted a rather easy draw. Yet she crashed out against Amy Oliver of Great Britain.
Her fortunes didn't change much with the Rio Olympics. She managed to progress to the pre quarterfinals. It was the highest achievement for any Indian archer since Satyadev Prasad reaching the pre-finals in 2004. However, she lost yet again.
Can Deepika change her fortunes at the Tokyo Olympics?
So the question remains - Can Deepika Kumari change her fortunes at the Tokyo Olympics? Can she overcome her tendency to choke at crucial moments? The answer is both a yes and a no.
Deepika has multiple opportunities at the Tokyo Olympics. She can achieve her targets, since she is a part of the women's individual event, as well as the mixed team events.
For the first time, she shall be competing alongside her partner and her husband, Atanu Das. Like Deepika, Atanu also has potential. However, he has not utilized it to his full potential. Can he do it in Tokyo? It is for the world to see.
However, Deepika Kumari needs to ensure that she does not give in to the intense pressure that builds up during the crucial moments of the match. If she achieves that, Deepika can overcome her hesitancy to achieve her Olympic dreams.