Exclusive Interview with victorious women's archery team
The victorious Indian team on the podium. L-R in Blue: Rimil, Deepika and Bombayla
Fresh from the victory at the Poland World Cup, Deepika Kumari (DK), Laisharam Bombayla Devi (BD) and Rimil Buriuly (RB) spoke to OGQ from Poland on skype.
Q: Congratulations on your fantastic victory. What was going through your mind when you were playing the Olympic champions Korea in the finals?
BD: The Koreans are the best team in Archery and we were a bit nervous in the beginning. We knew we had to give our best in the match. It was tied till 18 arrows, but we shot like we normally do in training. I guess we were lucky in the end to win the match.
DK: We knew that if we stay close to the score of Koreans in the early part of the match, they will also come under pressure. We managed to do that and finally we won it in the last 6 arrows. Also, this tournament was a stepping stone for the important events in future and we knew we had to give our best.
RB: Koreans are the Olympic Champions and a very tough opponent. But, we don’t take too much pressure and did not focus on them. Our strategy was to remain confident no matter who is in the opposition.
Q: How has the presence of coach Lim helped you?
RB: It was very important to have him behind us during the match. It was a very close match and he was keeping us focused. He kept motivating us and ensured we didn’t worry about our opponents score.
DK: During the last 6 arrows the conditions were very windy. Lim told us to shoot exactly how we do it in our practice and we managed to hit four 10’s from those 6 shots. This was the defining moment of the match.
Q: You have now won back to back Gold medals in the world cups in Colombia and Poland in 2013. What is the reason for your success?
DK: We have been training in the national camps for last 7-8 months. Now the focus has been on individual training and that has really helped us. The improvement in our individual game has automatically improved the team game as well.
BD: Along with our coach the presence of Dr. Nikhil Latey (Head of Sports Science and Rehab at OGQ) who is our physio at the camp has also immensely helped us. We are grateful to OGQ for sending Nikhil to our camps as we are now much more fit and there are no injury scares.
RB: The team has been training together in the national camp for last 7-8 months and that has made us click together in the world cups. Also, the support of OGQ has come at the right time and gave us a big boost.
Q: Rio 2016 is now 3 years away. What is the kind of support do you need to win a medal at the Olympics?
DK: Along with training we need to pay more attention on our fitness. Support of OGQ is going to be very crucial in keeping us fit and injury free. For e.g. I had a wrist injury last month and OGQ team quickly brought me to Mumbai and showed it to an expert hand specialist. Their response was quick and my injury healed in time for the Poland World Cup.
RB: The training camps should continue and we should have the support team there which includes a physio, mental trainer and a masseur. It is also crucial for us to have world class equipment and accessories at all time. But now with OGQ support we know we don’t have to worry about these things and we can focus on our game.
Q: Final question to you. Do you plan to celebrate your victory once you are back in India?
RB: We would like to celebrate it, but we won’t get any time as the world championships are coming up in Antalya next month. We have to train for the selection trials and we will be joining the camp in Aurangabad tomorrow.
DK: Celebrations can wait as our focus is to do well at the World Championships. We will resume our training as soon as we reach India.
- Team Olympic Gold Quest
