The Indian men's archery team of Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai finished third in the ranking round of the Final Olympic Qualification in Ogden, USA, on Tuesday.
They will now face 14th ranked Norway in their first elimination round (1/16) to be held on Thursday. India will need to finish among the top three in Thursday's elimination tournament for a berth at the London Games.
India finished the 72-arrow ranking round with 1938 points behind toppers Chinese Taipei (1942) and Russia (1940).
Amidst powerhouses
India have in their bottom half of the draw powerhouses like Russia, Australia and the Netherlands and Canada who face each other in the opening round.
However, it was good to see Commonwealth Games gold medal winner Banerjee, who lost his equipment during travel, had quickly settled down with his new bow and finger guard which are generally customised. He was slightly off target in the beginning and was placed 120th after the first 12 arrows, but quickly climbed up the rankings to finish 34th ahead of Rai.
Talukdar was the best Indian on show with 653 points out of a possible 720. Banerjee scored 643 and Rai 642. "It was good that the team reached there five days before the competition," said Pareshnath Mukherjee, general secretary of the Archery Association of India.
{{/usCountry}}Talukdar was the best Indian on show with 653 points out of a possible 720. Banerjee scored 643 and Rai 642. "It was good that the team reached there five days before the competition," said Pareshnath Mukherjee, general secretary of the Archery Association of India.
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