Dola Banerjee welcomes Dhiraj in exclusive club of Indians to win Archery World Cup final

FILE PHOTO: Dola Banerjee was the first Indian to win gold in the Archery World Cup Final in 2007. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI

Dola Banerjee, the first Indian to land a gold in the prestigious Archery World Cup Final (WCF) in 2007, is delighted to welcome current WCF recurve men’s champion B. Dhiraj to the exclusive club.

Dola feels that the title in Saltillo, Mexico, will give Dhiraj the confidence in the upcoming Asian Games.

“I saw his matches late in the night and liked the way he shot confidently. He was solid in (the three) one-on-one matches and held his nerve to shoot a 10 in the crucial tie-breaker in the final,” Dola told Sportstar.

“It has been 19 years since I won the WCF gold. It feels as if it happened recently.”

Dola appreciated the fact that despite the jet lag Dhiraj got past three experienced archers — Turkey’s Berkim Tumer 7-1, France’s Jean-Charles Valladont 7-1 and Japan’s Nakanishi Junya 6-5 (shoot-off: 10-9) — on his way to claim the title.

“Dhiraj consistently shot only 10s and 9s. That’s what is needed to win medals in big stages. He will carry this confidence to the Asian Games,” said Dola.

According to Dola, the country’s archers, who recently began their final preparatory camp in Korube City, Japan, stand a good chance in the Asian Games. “Last time we won nine medals, this time we should match it. We should win more gold medals. In recurve, the competition will be tougher as archers from Korea and China will be there. We have a good mix of experience and youth.

“Overall, around 350 out of nearly 500 athletes in the Indian contingent are young and it will be their first Asian Games. It’s a good sign for the country,” added Dola, an executive council member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).