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Auto Driver’s Daughter Deepika Kumari Earned India An Olympic Quota

The daughter of an auto-rickshaw driver, Kumari practised on bamboo-made bows & arrows to perfect her targeting skills

Archer Deepika Kumari secured an Olympic quota place for India by bagging gold medal at the Continental Qualification Tournament. 

Deepika Kumari won the gold medal in the women’s recurve event at the Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok on Thursday, beating compatriot Ankita Bhakat 6-0 in an all-Indian final. Three Olympic quotas for Tokyo 2020 were on offer at this event – which went to India, Bhutan and Vietnam.

This is India’s second Olympic quota place in archery after the men’s recurve team of Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das and Pravin Jadhav had secured their place through their showing in the World Championships earlier this year.

The Berlin stage of the 2020 World Cup is the last remaining Olympic qualifying event in archery.

Deepika Kumari, India’s top-ranked woman archer, will be looking to bury the ghosts of London and Rio in Tokyo next year.

The daughter of an auto-rickshaw driver, Kumari practised on bamboo-made bows & arrows to perfect her targeting skills.