Deepika targets the bull’s eye

She’s 18 and already a household name. “I feel so proud when people from various towns ask me about archery,” she says as those trademark dimples light up her cherubic face. By the way, she has a unique idea of elucidating her sport. Deepika tells her people that it’s the sport Mahabharata’s Arjun excelled in.

Now the world’s top-ranked archer, Deepika says the number counts for nothing if it can’t translate into an Olympic medal. And what better venue to win an Olympic medal than Lord’s, cricket’s cathedral and also archery’s venue.

“It’s my dream, my life. I’ve been dreaming of an Olympic medal ever since I took to the sport. A great deal will depend on the London weather on the day of our event. God willing, I will hit the bull’s eye,” she says.

She is focusing on her technique as “small errors can make a huge difference in archery”. Top archers of Korea and China, she reminds, are tough to beat as they’re extremely sound in technique.

When she says she’s immune to pressure, you wonder from where she derives her confidence. Lest forgotten, she’s only 18.