Ace woman archer and World No 3 Deepika Kumari might have succumbed to pressure at the London Olympics, but the 18-year-old Ranchi-born archer, who was taken by the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) under their wing yesterday, now wants to gain back her lost confidence by training hard. Excerpts from an interview: <img alt="Deepika Kumari" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/may/Deepika-Kumari_4.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 652px;" /> Archer Deepika Kumari at Bajaj Bhavan, Nariman Point. PIC/Bipin Kokate How did you overcome the London Olympics disappointment? I didn&rsquo;t know how to react. It was difficult to forget, as I didn&rsquo;t expect that I would perform so badly. I was also low on confidence after the tournament. It was difficult, but I prefer to forget it and surge ahead. What are your expectations from OGQ? Whatever I have achieved so far is without a mental conditioning coach. Even for important events like Olympics or World Championships, the national team never had the services of a psychologist. But things will change as OGQ are here to provide us with the best facilities. With Rio Games in mind, I can concentrate on my training and aim to do well there. Do you think that the Indian team lags behind other countries in the mental conditioning department? The men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s team both need mental conditioning badly as archery is a mental sport. A psychologist can play a crucial part if you are scared, feel the pressure and need to relax. But we have never had that privilege and that&rsquo;s the most important thing the team doesn&rsquo;t have right now. Do you think your age gives you an advantage? I was World No 1 as a teenager. With age on my side, I can look to participate in as many tournaments and gain a lot of experience. I am confident that I can play for another two or three Olympics. How do you balance studies and sport? I don&rsquo;t get much time for studies as I&rsquo;m practising and participating in tournaments. But I&rsquo;m glad that I finally gave my Class 12th exams this year. I am aware that education is important and I cannot only relay on sport to feed me all my life. So I wish to complete my graduation from an open university soon. Do you aim to regain the World No 1 spot? Earlier, I used concentrate on winning a medal ahead of any competition. But now, I want to concentrate on getting my basics right and not think about the outcome. I am sure that in the long run I will get the desired results. What is your aim in the future? Right now, I want to do well in the World Cup stage 2 from June 10-16 in Antalya, Turkey. In the last Asian Games, I finished fourth. But I hope to better my performance in next year&rsquo;s Asian Games. But I hope to make a mark in the Rio Games. Do you think it&rsquo;s time media and sponsors focus on sports other than cricket? I feel that cricket is hogged enough limelight and it&rsquo;s now time for sports like archery and hockey to gets its due credit. Media plays a huge role in promoting any sport and it&rsquo;s time that sponsors also try to create new sporting icons.

World No 3 archer wants to gain back her lost confidence by training hard

Want to move on from London Olympics disappointment: Deepika Kumari

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Want to move on from London Olympics disappointment: Deepika Kumari

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