Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, May 19: Indian archery stars Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das have failed to qualify for the upcoming Asian Games after finishing outside the top three in the national selection trials conducted by the Archery Association of India (AAI) at the SAI National Centre of Excellence in Sonepat.

The AAI has selected the top three archers from each category to represent India at the Asian Games scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4.

Deepika and Atanu, both among India’s most experienced recurve archers, finished fourth in the women’s and men’s recurve categories respectively, missing out on qualification.

In the women’s recurve section, Deepika finished behind Kirti Sharma, youngster Kumkum Mohod and experienced archer Ankita Bhakat.

In the men’s recurve category, Olympian Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge secured the top three positions ahead of Atanu Das.

Despite missing out on the Asian Games squad, both Deepika and Atanu have been selected to participate in the next two stages of the Archery World Cup circuit.

World Cup Stage 3 is scheduled to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from June 9 to 14, while Stage 4 will take place in Madrid, Spain, from July 7 to 12.

The selection process involved two phases of trials. Initially, the top 12 archers from each category were shortlisted in January before the final trials concluded this week. Final rankings were determined based on performances in qualification rounds, round-robin matches and knockout stages.

The trials also produced surprises in the men’s compound category, where former world champion Ojas Deotale and experienced archer Abhishek Verma failed to secure selection.

Young archers Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal and T Ganesh Mani Ratnam booked their places in the Asian Games squad, while Rishabh Yadav was selected for the World Cup events.

In the women’s compound category, seasoned archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam earned selection for her fourth Asian Games appearance alongside Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep.

Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das each have one Asian Games medal to their name. Deepika won a bronze medal in the women’s team event at the 2010 Asian Games, while Atanu secured a silver medal in the team event at the 2022 edition.

Indian Archery Team for Asian Games 2026

Recurve Men: Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge

Recurve Women: Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat

Compound Men: Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, T Ganesh Mani Ratnam

Compound Women: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi, Prithika Pradeep