Can Dhiraj Bommadevara take the pressure off Deepika for India?

The incredulously unpredictable nature of archery makes the chances of winning individual Olympic gold nearly impossible.

Sixty-four archers per gender compete at the Games.

Only three make the podium. Only one wins it. A millimetre here, or there, at any moment along the way could potentially sink anyone’s Olympic dreams. Victory requires mental fortitude and the ability to walk a fragile tightrope on the shooting line.

Wind, technique and, of course, nerves, the three elements that can sink an Olympic ship.

India is due an Olympic archery medal.

The talented squad has produced on the world stage for decades but the pressure of expectation from a billion-plus people has long been the undoing of Indian archers at the Games – especially Deepika Kumari, who has carried the nation’s medal hopes for a long, arduous 14 years.

Kumari won the Commonwealth Games in 2010 at the age of 16. She was world number one arriving at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 – but she’s never climbed the Olympic podium.

“Unfortunately, I cannot live up to my own expectations,” said the four-time Hyundai Archery World Cup stage winner after her elimination in Tokyo. “I’m not sure what happened but from the very first moment, I couldn’t perform to my own expectations…”

The pressure is real.

Or maybe not, anymore.

Another star is emerging in the Indian team.

Dhiraj Bommadevara is making his debut at these Olympics but, like his longstanding compatriot before her main Games in 2012, he’s been on a tear in the build-up to Paris.

The 22-year-old has won 10 international medals in the past 12 months.

The Indian men beat Korean to team gold at this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup season opener in Shanghai and most recently beat the last Olympic silver medallist, Mauro Nespoli, to individual bronze in Antalya.

And while Kumari has publicly dwelled on her shortcomings, Bommadevara only looks forward.

“It feels great that we are getting the fruits of the hard work and achievements that we have put in,” he said after making the final four in Antalya. “This tells us that we are on the right track for the upcoming tournaments, and this is the thing that we will keep working on until the end.”

Dhiraj’s use of ‘we’ is common. He represents India as a team, not an individual.

“We train in India coordination, we start in practice… In team events, obviously, everyone shoots individual,” he says.

“But team coordination makes gold medals.”

India’s ‘team coordination’ hasn’t delivered an Olympic medal yet – and Kumari has borne the brunt of that disappointment. It’s been hard on the 30-year-old.

At worst, Dhiraj’s emergence will take some weight of Deepika’s shoulders.

At best… let’s not jinx it.