Heading for the Tokyo Olympics, India’s ace archer and world no 1 Deepika Kumari said the failure to win medals in the last two Olympics will “play on her mind,” reported news agency PTI. She is, however, trying to stay away from the negative emotions ahead of the mega event. Deepika, who is at the peak of her career, is the lone female archer in India’s Olympics camp after the women’s team failed to qualify for the Games.

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“I don’t want a repeat anymore. It’s past but yes, that will play on my mind and there would be some pressure on the back of my mind,” she told PTI.

“So, it’s about trying my best to keep myself free of all those negative thoughts and take less pressure. It’s about focusing just on my shooting,” Deepika said.

Deepika went to the 2012 London Olympics as a world no 1, but could not get through the first round. In Rio Games, she lost to Russia in the team quarterfinals.

The star archer secured the world no 1 position after winning three gold medals at last month’s Paris World Cup.

“As the day nears and countdown begins, pressure builds up. So, it’s about mentally tuning and how to keep calm and don’t get unsettled,” the archer, one of India’s Olympic medal hopes, said.

Ahead of the big event, Deepika is focusing on mind and technique and is playing “more individual and team matches rather than just practice,” she said.

Lone female archer in India camp

In the Paris World Cup last month, the trio of Deepika, Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari failed to qualify for the Olympics as a team, with Deepika finding herself as “the lone female” archer in India’s Olympics camp.

So, how is she training?

Being the only female archer in the camp, Deepika is competing with men, including her archer husband Atanu Das.

“It’s better for me, I’m trying my best to shoot better than them always,” Deepika said, adding that she was “winning most of the times.”

Deepika and Atanu will be the first Indian couple to take part in the same event in an Olympic Games.

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“You don’t experiment much at the last moment. It’s about fine-tuning and polishing, so match practice is the best practice at the moment,” Deepika said, ahead of the Games.