Archery News: Three-time Olympian duo Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das dropped from the TOP's list

Indian Archery sensation Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das failed to excel at the Tokyo Olympics. Afterwards, the TOP's list excluded them both.

Indian Archery sensation Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das failed to excel at the Tokyo Olympics. Afterwards, the TOP's list excluded them both. Due to their poor performance in the national ranking event, the Sports Ministry's Target (TOPS) dismissed star archer Deepika Kumari and her husband Atanu Das.

According to the Sports Ministry, their substandard performance was the reason for their removal. In his words "Considering their below-par performances in the event, MOC decided to not include them in the TOPS list".

The archery couple received a ton of praise for their performances at various World Cups. But both, Deepika and Atanu have consistently underperformed at multi-sport tournaments. The recent one is the Tokyo Olympics, where they failed to adhere to the expectations of their admirers. Their issues aggravated after they failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Yankton, USA, last October.

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Deepika stated, "I appreciate that SAI officials informed me before the MOC meeting itself that there was a possibility of me being excluded from the TOP Scheme. I will be motivated to return with good scores in the competitions ahead". The TOPS rejection, according to Deepika, will only encourage her to return stronger.

"We were very disturbed that we could not get the results we wanted in the Olympic Games. And we took a break from competitive archery after the Olympic Games. I know it is a matter of time before we find the form and get back to where we belong" Atanu Das went ahead to add.