Deepika, Bombayla bow out without a fight
Source: The Sangai Express / PTI
Rio De Janeiro, August 11 2016 :
After five days of fruitless
labour, hopes of India turning a
corner and marching towards a
medal on day six of the
Olympics were dashed when
women archers Deepika
Kumari and Laishram
Bombayla Devi bowed out
after being found wanting in
pressure-cooker atmosphere.
There was disappointment
in badminton as well when
the seasoned Indian women's
doubles combine of Jwala
Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa
also came a cropper against a
top class Japanese pair, but in
a round-robin league, which
kept them still in the hunt.
However, it was curtains
for the archery duo of
Deepika, the young exponent
from Jharkhand who was in
her second Games, and third-
time Olympian Bombayla
who bowed out without
putting up much of a fight in
their pre-quarterfinal elimina-
tion matches.
Deepika was up against
World No.2 Tan Ya-Ting of
Chinese Taipei, and was
blanked 6-0 � losing in
straight sets � while
Bombayla lost 2-6 to World
No.18 Alejandra Valencia of
Mexico, after winning the
second set.
Both the archers
were guilty of letting their
nerves get the better of them.
Deepika was the first to
take aim today and failed to
raise her game when it mat-
tered, losing 27-28, 26-29,
27-30 in a lop-sided contest,
during which she managed to
hit the bull's eye only once.
The former World No.1
was put under pressure by
Ya-Ting from the very start
and never really managed to
threaten her more fancied
opponent.
While Deepika seemed out
of sorts in the high-pressure
match, Ya-Ting was a picture
of composure, calmly striking
6 perfect 10s � three of them
back-to-back in the third set.
Bombayla also endured a
disastrous outing which be-
gan with a 7 off the first
arrow.
In the 26-28, 26-23,
27-28, 23-25 loss, Bombayla
was also found wanting in
handling pressure.
After losing the third set
narrowly, the Indian just
could not gather herself, strik-
ing a 6 off the first arrow in
the fourth set, which ulti-
mately proved to be her
undoing.
The slender hopes in ar-
chery now rests on the little
fancied Atanu Das who is in
the pre quarters of the men's
event and will be in action on
Friday.