Gurugram, Nov. 4 -- Twenty-year-old Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru believes Indian archery has reached a stage where it must now prove to the world that it "belongs" on the Olympic podium, with an elusive medal at Los Angeles 2028 firmly in its sights.
Fresh from his maiden Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where he returned with an individual bronze and a team gold last month, the Andhra Pradesh compound archer said India's stupendous showing had given the team the confidence to challenge the best and turn its growing dominance into Olympic glory.
Despite producing world champions and world No. 1 archers in both recurve and compound disciplines, India are yet to win an Olympic medal in archery, with their ability to handle pressure against traditional powerhouses South Korea and China often coming under scrutiny.
But Ganesh believes the recent results have changed the equation and given Indian archers reason to aim higher.
"For me, winning a gold and a bronze in the Asian Games 2026 has really motivated me for the Olympics," Ganesh told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of an annual sports day event at a city-based school here on Wednesday.
"From now, our process will be to prove to every country that India is among the best. India will be proving the best. For the Olympics, I expect gold in the mixed team event. "We have a quota reserved for India. We will prove to everyone that we belong on the Olympic podium."
The confidence is backed by a series of landmark performances in the ongoing Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, with Indian archery enjoying a resurgence across both disciplines.India became the first country to secure the mixed team compound quota for LA28 at the Asian Games, ahead of its historic Olympic debut in 2028. The recurve archers also have made significant inroads into South Korea's long-standing dominance.
The women's team of Kumkum Mohod, Kirti Sharma and Ankita Bhakat stunned the 10-time Olympic champions in the
final to secure India's maiden Asian Games gold in the event.
That victory also marked India's second win over South Korea in six months, following their semifinal triumph at the Shanghai World Cup in May, where the Indian women went on to beat China in the final.
The 17-year-old, Kumkum defeating two South Koreans, former Olympic champion Kang Chae-young and Oh Yejin, on her way to a historic women's gold and an individual Olympic quota.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.