We proved our critics wrong

Says Dola Banerjee, who was part of the Indian  archery team at the 2004 Athens Olympics

The women’s archery team qualified for the first time ever in 2004. It was an achievement in itself. I was the senior most member in the team and all hopes were pinned on me. It’s a little difficult to perform under so much pressure but being an Indian sportsperson, I have got used to it. I was looking forward to the Olympics and was excited like never before.

We had not been to anything as big as the Olympics ever before. When we landed at Athens, the Village shocked us out of our wits! It was magnificent, to say the least. I cannot describe in words the kind of emotions that we went through.

The Opening Ceremony was an experience of a lifetime. We weren’t in the stadium when the cultural events were taking place. But I don’t regret it even one bit. We were outside the stadium, waiting for the marchpast to start. It was a great feeling to wear the uniform in our national colours and walk alongside international sporting heroes. The crowd cheered us on as we stepped into the stadium. To watch our national flag fly high gave us goose bumps.

We lost in the quarter finals by a margin of one point. It was disappointing but we were extremely happy with our performance. Nobody had expected us to do so well and we’d proved them wrong.

The Olympics were an unforgettable experience. I hope I’m able to make the cut this time around.

—As told to Malini Banerjee