KOLKATA, June 12 (PTI): Indian archers would look for more Olympic quotas when the World Cup Stage III begins on June 18 at Ogden, United States, with all eyes on the fancied men�s team in their last chance to qualify for the London Games.
The women�s team, along with Jayanta Talukdar in the men�s section, have already made the Olympic cut. The onus now is on the men�s team of Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai and Rahul Banerjee to finish among top three in the Olympic qualifiers to join the London bus.
A 15-day camp at Gangtok in conditions similar to that at Ogden and London, a mental conditioning to calm the nerves have been part of their preparation and head coach Limba Ram believes success at Ogden will set them on right direction ahead of the Olympics.
�This is the best chance we have to earn an Olympic medal, but for that the start has to be in Ogden. They are not yet certain of a team berth. There is tremendous pressure. It�s hard struggle. But I don�t want them to relax either with just over a month for our dream event,� Limba told PTI, before leaving for Ogden today.
�This time, we are also leaving a few days in advance to get ourselves acclimatised to the conditions there,� he said about the most crucial meet for the men�s team to be held from June 18-24.
The performance of the men�s trio has been overshadowed by the success of the women�s team with Deepika Kumari emerging as the best bet for an Olympic medal.
But Limba said that the men�s team was equally good with Talukdar in peak form.
�They are peaking at the right time. I just want that,� Limba said referring to the men�s team silver medal finish at the World Cup Stage II at Antalya.
�He has a wealth of experience. I�m sure that�s going to come to use this time around.�
Of the trio, Rai is the most experienced, having made an Olympic debut in Athens 2004, but after winning a historic silver in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, the Sikkim archer�s form has dipped.
