Top 10 Indian archers of all-time

These archers have shown exceptional performances at world events.

Archery is one of the most precise and also one of the most popular sports in the world. It comprises an archer shooting an arrow at a target from 50 to 70 meters away, with the goal of hitting the centre of the target. In modern times, compound archery and recurve archery have emerged as competitive forms of archery.

The most noticeable distinction between compound and recurve archery is the feel of the bows. Compound bows are claimed to be more modern and, as a result, easier to shoot due to the let-off. Recurve bows, on the other hand, are more traditional and, due to the release, are slightly more difficult to shoot.

While India has the best chance of winning a medal in compound archery, it is not yet been included in the Olympics. But recently there have been some discussions going about including compound archery in the 2028 LA Olympics.

Indians have had a sub-par 2022 in archery. No player from the country qualified for the World Cup finals, by winning Gold in one of the four World Cup Stages or through the rankings. However, that doesn't mean that we do not have world-class talents. The likes of Abhishek Verma and Jyoti Surekha Vennam are ranked in the top 5 in their categories. Ace archer Deepika Kumari has been World No. 1 multiple times in the recurve format.

So, India does and has had great talents in the sport and here we bring you the top 10 Indian archers of all time:

10. Pravin Jadhav

Pravin Jadhav, India's most novice archer at the Tokyo Olympics, stepped out as the brightest point for India men's individuals in the Tokyo Olympics after the more experienced Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai failed to deliver. Jadhav was the highest-ranked Indian archer in the men's individual ranking round. Moreover, Pravin Jadhav won a silver medal in the Men's Team event at the World Cup and he is also in the Indian Army under sports quota since 2017.

9. Atanu Das

Atanu Das, a well-known male archer from India, took silver in the 2011 World Youth Championships. At the Asian Archery Grand Prix in Thailand in 2013, he won bronze medals in both the men's and mixed teams in recurve archery. He won a bronze medal in the mixed team alongside fellow archer Deepika Kumari, whom he married in 2020.

8. Tarundeep Rai

This Indian archer, who was born in Sikkim, received the Arjuna Award in 2005 and the Padma Shri in 2021 for his exploits. He also earned the Khel Ratna Award in 2018. At the age of 19, he made his debut at the Asian Archery Championships.

Tarundeep Rai won India's first silver medal in individual archery at the 16th Asian Games on November 24, 2010, in Guangzhou, China. In addition, he was a member of the Indian archery team that took bronze at the 15th Asian Games in Doha in 2006.

7. Bombayla Devi Laishram

Ace Archer Bombayla Devi Liashram is a Manipal-based archer whose mother is a state-level archery instructor. Following her World Archery Championship victory in 2007, she earned a bronze medal at the 2007 World Cup in Dover and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She rose to fame after winning a gold medal in the commonwealth games with the recurve team in 2010, which also included Dola Banerjee and Deepika Kumari alongside her.

6. Jyothi Surekha Vennam

Jyothi Surekha Vennam, 25, has a long list of achievements. Moreover, in 2017, she proved her worth by winning a silver medal at the World Archery Championships. As a three-time Asian Archery Championships gold champion and 2017 Arjuna Award recipient, she has vast experience and is one of India’s all-time great archery players.

5. Dola Banerjee

She initially represented India at the Youth Championships in 1996, when she was 16 years old. Nobody can deny that she is one of the most experienced archers on the Indian circuit, having had over 55 international appearances in her roughly 20-year career. She won the World Championship in 2007 and was the first Indian woman to qualify for the individual archery event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Her other achievements include a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and an Arjuna Award in 2005.

4. Abhishek Verma

He is a pioneer among Indian archers, winning a bronze medal in the medal playoff against Russia in the Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, alongside Rajat Chauhan and Aman Saini. Abhishek Verma represents compound archery in India.

His breakthrough came in 2014 when he won gold in the compound team competition and silver in the compound individual competition at the Asian Games. Since then, he has been unquestionably the most dominant archer in the country in his format.

3. Limba Ram

Limba Ram was an Indian archer who competed in three Olympic Games, which is a remarkable achievement in and of itself. He began his career by winning a national-level junior archery championship in 1987. After representing India at the 1988 Seoul Games, Ram earned a gold medal at the 1989 Asian Games. He earned his second gold medal at the Asian Championships in 1992. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the former World No. 4 propelled Indian archery to the forefront. In 1991, he received the Arjuna Award, and in 2012, he received the Padma Shri.

2. Jayanta Talukdar

Jayanta Talukdar, a well-known name among male Indian archers, began his professional career with a silver medal at the World Junior Championship in 2004. He earned bronze medals in the Asian Games in 2006 and 2010. He was the World's No. 1 player in 2009. He became India's first gold medalist in archery at the 2006 World Cup in Merida.

He made his debut in 2003 and won his first World Championship medal in 2005. He has seven gold, 10 silver, and five bronze medals from the World Cup Stage. He finished in the top ten of the world rankings.

1. Deepika Kumari

Deepika Kumari, widely regarded as the best archer, has received numerous medals and honours. She made headlines when she won two gold medals in individual and team events at the Commonwealth Games at the age of 16.

The Ranchi archer and his squad won bronze at the Asian Games in 2010 and silver at the World Championship in 2011. At various World Cups, she has won three gold medals and three silver medals in World Cup.