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| Human Interest | |
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General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Music, food. (worldarchery.org, 13 Jun 2019) |
| Famous relatives | Her husband Atanu Das represented India in archery at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. Her cousin Vidya has attended the Tata Archery Academy in India. (SportsDeskOnline, 25 Jan 2022; Instagram profile, 19 Nov 2021; telegraphindia.com, 30 Sep 2013) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | Her cousin was an archer and encouraged her to take up the sport, with the support of her mother. "As per my mother's memories I never used to miss my target while aiming for mangoes with stones during childhood, and that's why she motivated me in every step of attaining my dreams. Initially my father was a little sceptical about it, but my cousin Vidya who was already an archer at Tata Archery Academy, showed the way." |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Indian archers Jayanta Talukdar and Dola Banerjee. (tribuneindia.com, 05 Dec 2009) |
| Awards and honours | In September 2017 she received the Young Achievers Award from Vogue magazine. (hindustantimes.com, 26 Sep 2017) In January 2016 she was presented with the Padma Shri Award in India in recognition of her services to archery. (hindustantimes.com, 26 Jan 2016) In March 2014 she was named Sportsperson of the Year in India by Tata Steel. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 03 Mar 2014) In February 2014 she was named Sportsperson of the Year at the India Sports Awards by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry [FICCI], an association of business organisations in India. (news.biharprabha.com, 13 Feb 2014) She won an Arjuna Award in India in 2012. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 01 Nov 2013; deepikakumari.com, 04 Apr 2013) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Mim Gurung [national] |
| Handedness | Right |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She took up the sport in Kharsawan, India, before moving to the Tata Archery Academy in 2008. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English, Hindi |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Deepa (World Archery, 16 Jul 2012) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "[Archery] is all about how strong one is mentally. So mental training is very important." (telegraphindia.com, 30 Sep 2013) |
| Other information | DEALING WITH PRESSURE She made her third Olympic appearance at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. She was knocked out in the quarterfinals in both the individual event and the mixed team competition at Tokyo 2020, and is very aware that Indian archers are yet to finish on the podium at the Olympic Games. "Everyone keeps saying we don't have a medal, we don't have a medal. We think of it a thousand times there, and it dominates our psyche. It's a mental blockade and goes on affecting our techniques. It's high time that I introspect into my game and see it in a different perspective now. There are certain things we are lacking too much. Basically we need to change the perspective of our games. We have to see all games equally, be it World Cup, world championships or the Olympics. But there we think too much about a medal. We have to take it easy and enjoy the moment. In the World Cup or world championships too, the medal is the ultimate goal but we never keep thinking about it. But once we reach the Olympics, we are not able to get over the thoughts of winning a medal. We need to work on it." (indianexpress.com, 09 Aug 2021) EARLY WEDDING She married Indian archer Atanu Das in June 2020. The pair had planned to marry following the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo but they decided to bring their wedding forward after the Games were postponed until 2021. "He's so supportive. I can't imagine what it would be like to do this without him. We are husband and wife now, but it's really a partnership. We have the same goals, and we're able to focus on them together." (worldarchery.org, 14 Aug 2020) EARLY DAYS She was introduced to archery by her cousin Vidya, who attended the Tata Archery Academy in Jharkhand, India. Kumari later enrolled at the institute. "I didn't even know what archery was at first. I'm the eldest of our family and I thought if I left home and provided for myself, it would be one less mouth for my family to have to feed. My parents, on the other hand, argued I was too young to live by myself, that sport was unreliable as a career, and that I should focus on my studies. I would argue with them that I needed to go, I stayed adamant until they relented. At Tata, I started competing more, got better coaches and training, and life also got better as there was proper food and living conditions. Watching my seniors there, who had won various competitions, I would get inspired and motivated to win too." (yourstory.com, 23 Mar 2018; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 08 Mar 2018; inews.co.uk, 07 Mar 2018) DOCUMENTARY In 2017 she featured in a 39-minute documentary called 'Ladies First' that depicted her life story, from childhood to becoming a top archer. (yourstory.com, 23 Mar 2018; indianexpress.com, 10 Mar 2018) |
| Injuries | She suffered a shoulder injury prior to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. However, she participated in the event despite the injury. (inews.co.uk, 07 Mar 2018) She suffered a wrist injury in March 2014. (indianexpress.com, 31 Mar 2014) |
| Milestones | She became the first female archer representing India to win a world junior title when she claimed gold in the compound individual event at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Ogden, UT, United States of America. (indiansportswomen.org, 07 Sep 2011) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Husband Atanu Das |