Jamshedpur: Unhappy with her current form, the country's top archer Deepika Kumari said she is working hard to get her touch back to be India's medal prospect at the forthcoming London Olympic Games.
"I am not in my best shooting form but am working to change the form," said the 18-year-old World Cup silver medalist.
Deepika emerged as the champion in the women's recurve individual Olympic round at the 32nd Senior National Archery Championships at the JRD Tata Sports complex in Jamshedpur on Saturday. Representing Steel Plant Sports Board (SPSB), the Tata Archery Academy cadet beat L Bomablya Devi of Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) in the final shoot-out after both the London Olympic qualifiers tied 5 set points each.
"I am focusing on shooting and not the points. I have increased the poundage of my bow to achieve the goal," she said soon after winning the individual championship.
Oozing confidence over winning a medal in the July-August mega sports event in London, the Commonwealth Games double gold medalist said she is working hard to improve her form ahead of the 2012 Olympics.
"I am very much hopeful of a medal and am working hard to improve form as well as maintain it till the Olympics," she said. "I, along with with my academy mate and lone man qualifier for the Olympics Jayanta Talukdar, will be going to South Korea in February for special training under the TAA's South Korean coach Lim Chae Woong after the Asian Grand Prix, to be held in Bangkok between 14-20th February," she said.
The 35-day long training is aimed to fine-tune her shooting skills alongside the world's best archers in South Korea, she explained.
Asked whether it would not be helpful for the entire team to undergo training in South Korea, Deepika said she, along with Talukdar, are going to target medals in individual events.
"It is not me or Talukdar, every archer who has qualified for the Olympics is working on the same lines at the moment, as we will have time to work together for team events," she said.
Besides Deepika, international archers L Bombalya Devi (Railways) and Chekrovolu Swuro (Nagaland) have also qualified for the London Olympics.
If the archers can perform in the individual events, Deepika said it would not be difficult to excel in their performance as team in the Olympic Games.
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