Commonwealth Games double gold medal-winning archer Deepika Kumari said yesterday that foreign coaches and training camps abroad are essential if India must do well at the 2012 London Olympics
Commonwealth Games double gold medal-winning archer Deepika Kumari said yesterday that foreign coaches and training camps abroad are essential if India must do well at the 2012 London Olympics.
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| Indian archer Deepika Kumari |
"The archery contingent must be taken abroad for training camps. It is very necessary that the players get acclimatised to foreign conditions. Only then can India stage a real challenge at the Olympics," the 16-year-old teenager from Jharkhand, told MiD DAY during a felicitation ceremony in the city yesterday.
Deepika also emphasised the need for a foreign coach in order to take the country's archers to the next level.
"Foreign coaches will bring new ideas. It will only benefit the team. Indian coaches must work in tandem with them," she said.
Moments earlier, Deepika shared success secret with a group of young women from under-privileged backgrounds, who were presented scholarships from an organisation striving for women's empowerment. "Focus is the key. Not for one moment can you be distracted from your goal," she said. A Std XI student, Deepika urged the young women to pursue their dreams, no matter what.
"You may be from a small village. But don't be discouraged by circumstances. Keep trying until you achieve your goal," said Deepika, who overcame poor financial conditions herself to seek international glory.
Also present at the event was India's five-time world boxing champion Mary Kom.u00a0 Herself a farmer's daughter,u00a0 Mary Kom said she could relate with the girls. Her message was clear: "If I can do it then so can you."
