Atanu, Deepika make Asian Games squad

KOLKATA: Olympians Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari will spearhead India's challenge in recurve category at the forthcoming Asian Games, to be held in Jakarta in August. However, going by current form, India's hopes of a medal will rest heavily on compound archers, led by Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha. The recurve archers failed to win any medal in the two World Cup stages held this year.
In the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Verma clinched an individual bronze and then paired with Rajat Chauhan and Sandeep Kumar to stun South Korea in the final to bag a team gold medal also.Chauhan made the four-member compound squad this time, too, following a two-day selection trial meet that concluded in Sonepat, Haryana, on Friday. Verma's Delhi statemate Aman Saini and Punjab's Sangampreet Singh Bisla were the other two members of the men's squad.
Das qualified as the top archer in the recurve section after a two-day selection trial in Pune, which concluded on Friday. The three other archers to make the cut are all from Services - Suckchain Singh, Vishwas and Jagdish Choudhary.
In the women's section, Assam youngster Promila Daimary pipped Deepika to finish best among the four-member squad. Jharkhand's Ankita Bhakat and Railways' Laxmi Rani Maji also found berths on the Jakarta-bound party.
Madhya Pradesh's Muskan Kirar topped the women's compound trial event, followed by Jharkhand's Madhumita Kumari, PSPB's Jyoti and Punjab's Trisha Deb.
These archers will also represent the country in the World Cup Stage IV, which will be held in Berlin from July 16-22 and will serve as preparation for the Asian Games.
THE SQUAD
Recurve
Men: Atanu Das (PSPB), Suckchain Singh, Vishwas, Jagdish Choudhary (all SSCB). Women: Promila Daimary (Assam), Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat (all Jharkhand), Laxmi Rani Majhi (RSPB).
Compound
Men: Abhishek Verma (Delhi), Sangampreet Singh Bisla (Punjab), Rajat Chauhan (Rajasthan), Aman Saini (Delhi). Women: Muskan Kirar (MP), Madhumita Kumari (Jharkhand), Jyoti Surekha (PSPB), Trisha Deb (Punjab).