“Fauji hain, fauji jaise lad ke rahenge” - Dhiraj Bommadevara recalls Tarundeep Rai’s motivational words during Paris Olympics 2024 ranking round 

Fourth-ranked Dhiraj Bommadevara and 11th-ranked Ankita Bhakat emerged as the top-seeded Indian archers from the Paris Olympics 2024 ranking rounds, which concluded on Thursday, July 25.

Dhiraj didn’t start well as he was individually ranked at the 24th spot with a score of 335/360 after the first half. He was heavily troubled by heavy and uneven winds blowing through the range as he shot five 8s. Dhiraj seemed nervous at that point.

However, his compatriot Tarundeep Rai, who is competing in his fourth Olympics, helped Dhiraj with his inspirational words. Rai motivated him by saying they were not just archers, but also soldiers in the Indian Army. Rai and Dhiraj hold Subedar and Havaldar ranks in the Indian Army.

“He told me, ‘Brother, are you scared? Don’t worry. Fauji hain, fauji jaise lad ke rahenge.’ (We are soldiers and we will fight like soldiers),” Dhiraj told Sportstar.

“It was tricky. If you adjusted for the wind in one shot, for the next you’d find the wind blowing in an entirely different direction. If you adjusted for that, you’d find the wind against your body blowing in a different direction to the one near the target. I was getting very confused and a little scared as well,” he added.

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Dhiraj Bommadevara made a strong comeback to shoot the best in the second half

The words from Tarundeep Rai inspired Dhiraj Bommadevara to give his best as he took a step back and adjusted for the second half of the competition. He shot 346/360 in the next 36 arrows, the best among all archers in the range.

Dhiraj ended the ranking round with the fourth rank, accumulating 681 points. On the other hand, Tarundeep Rai secured the 14th rank with a score of 674. Pravin Jadhav settled for the 39th spot for a score of 658.

The Indian men’s team will take on either Turkiye or Colombia in the quarterfinals while the women’s team will compete with France or the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

Dhiraj Bommadevara will take on Adam Li from the Czech Republic in the Round of 64 on July 30 while Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav will lock horns with Great Britain’s Tom Hall and China’s Wenchao Kao, respectively.