Abhishek Verma Targets Los Angeles Olympics 2028

Indian compound archer Abhishek Verma is keen to make a comeback to the national team so that he can compete in the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the 2030 Commonwealth Games which India will host. The 38-year-old had witnessed the disappointment at the last Asian Games but said that his experience and preparation will prove to be a bonus for his selection in future Asian Games.

For the first time in Indian Games' history, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games saw India grab an Olympic quota in the compound archery discipline. It will debut in the Olympics in the mixed team event at Los Angeles 2028. India won the gold in the mixed team event and the gold in both the men's and women's team, the quota winners were Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi.

Earlier, missed fourth Asian Games in a row is disappointing, admits Verma, who was aiming to make 4th Asian Games. He did get some encouragement though, from the younger archers who he has been coaching over the years.

Verma told PTI that his juniors had played in the style he wanted to see in the Archery Premier League (APL) in Hyderabad where he is playing in the tournament for Prithviraj Yodhas.

India's performance had strengthened the nation's status as a big player in the field of compound archery, he added.

But Verma is not deterred and is still working on his own career. He has competed in three Asian Games and won five medals including two gold medals and a number of World Cup medals.

LA28 and CWG 2030 continue to be a primary focus

The Olympics have been a long time goal for Verma, who has been training for it since compound archery was added to the Olympics programme. He hopes that will be evident in the next selection trials.

He is satisfied that the India team can now focus on refining combinations and getting ready for the Olympics as they have qualified.

Verma also considers 2030 Commonwealth Games to be another big occasion to compete on a higher platform.

He plans to keep performing at his full level and will be looking to prove himself at his level during the upcoming trials.

India has performed well at Asian games and this has given impetus to its expectations in Los Angeles 2028. The country has the depth to fight for medals in compound and recurve archery, says Verma.

In compound archery, there will be a medal event in the mixed team event and five events in recurve archery. The recurve archers of India also had a good performance at the Asian Games with Kumkum Mohod picking up an individual gold medal and a team gold medal as well.

India took the lead in the archery standings with a total of nine medals (five gold, two silver and two bronze) followed by traditional powerhouse South Korea that won three golds, three silvers and three bronzes.

Verma feels India will bag two-three medals in the Olympics with a medal in compound archery possible in the Los Angeles Olympics.

He has unfortunately not won an individual medal since winning gold in 2023 World Cup in Medellin, Colombia, but still believes that his performances are still competitive. He described the scores around 715-716 in the two national ranking tournaments to be satisfactory and that he would keep on toiling to win the games based on these scores.

Senior Archer Mentors Young Talent

While he is not in the national team anymore, Verma is still helping the youngsters in the sport of archery in India. Chikitha Taniparthi, one of them has advanced and joined the Sonepat-based centre of Sports Authority of India.

Verma stated that he kept in touch with the team throughout the Asian Games and gave them tips prior to the big knockout stages.

He said the mentoring of younger athletes was part of his job as a senior player, even though he didn't have a coach's license. Has shared his notes, marked areas of improvement and passed on lessons from his own experience to help emerging archers grow and develop.

Verma Calls For Mixed Team-Focused Selection Trials

To the Olympics, Verma demanded the importance of selection trials where more weight is provided in the selection of a mixed team combination, match performances and the match compatibility between archers.

Some athletes excel in a ranking event and others excel in a head to head event, he noted. When forming a mixed team, he said, these differences should be taken into consideration in the selection.

Verma also emphasized the need for providing potential combinations sufficient time to coordinate before the Olympics. He urged the athletes to play together for a year, and play as many as five or six tournaments, so that they can learn what they are good at.

He also suggested that the backup athlete shouldn't be the only one, and that there should be a pool of five or six competitive backup athletes.

Verma also welcomed Archery Premier League for providing an opportunity to the sportspersons to play in another arena and build team bonding.

The league was a much needed respite from the rigors of regular training and tournaments, he said, and an opportunity for the archers to enjoy themselves while they were getting competitive experience.

Verma has come up with the hope that through his ongoing training, experience and practice tests, he will have another chance to showcase his talent for the Indian team in the upcoming Olympics.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susmita Modak

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Always love to raise the unraised matter. In a world of worries, I am always ready to come over my comfort zone and taking the step ahead of spreading awareness.

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