Deepika-Kumari

Picture Credit: Twitter

World number one archer Deepika Kumari is spearheading India's challenge in archery at the Tokyo Olympics. Deepika recently won the gold medal in Archery World Cup before heading to the Olympics. The 27-year-old secured a hat-trick of gold medals in stage 3 of Archery World Cup in Paris and claimed the no.1 position in the world. A product of the Tata Academy in Jamshedpur, the Ranchi born archery sensation is the only Indian woman archer to represent the country at ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Here's all you need to know about her:

Name: Deepika Kumari Mahato

Born on: 13 June 1994

Birth place: Ranchi, Bihar (now Jharkhand)

Hails from: New Delhi

Started her professional archery career: In 2006

Profession: Archer

Achievements:

She won the 11th Youth World Archery Championship held in Ogden, Utah, United States in 2009, at the age of fifteen. She also won a gold medal in the women's team recurve event, alongside Dola Banerjee and Bombayala Devi.

In June 2012, Deepika Kumari became the world no. 1 in Women’s Recurve Archery at Antalya, Turkey, just six years after turning professional. She was also a part of the women's team troika that won the silver at the Asian Grand Prix 2012 and Archery World Cup, Stage I in Shanghai.

At the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010, Deepika won two gold medals - one in the individual event and the other in the women's team recurve event.

Parents: Shivnarayan Mahato, Geeta Mahato

Awards won: Padma Shri, Arjuna Award for Archery

Fun Fact:

1.) Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das are the first Indian couple to take part in the same discipline in Olympic Games.

Deepika Kumari Atanu Das Love Story:

Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari were batchmates at the Tata Academy in Jamshedpur. Initially, they weren’t friends as there existed a language barrier between them. Deepika revealed in an interview that Atanu didn’t know Hindi and so he didn’t talk to her in the beginning. But slowly, they got to know each other and began talking to each other. In 2017, almost a decade after they first met - the two archers started dating each other.

2.) A documentary 'Ladies First' was made on Deepika Kumari on Netflix for worldwide streaming on 8 March 2018, International Women’s Day.

3.) Deepika Kumari is all set to make her acting debut with a lead role in a movie on witch hunting titled - 'Bisahi.'