Archers get shot in the arm ahead of Olympics

The Indian men's archery team got a much needed boost to their preparations for next year's London Olympics after Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), a non-profit organisation, on Tuesday announced their support to the prospective medal winners.

The Indian men's recurve team, which comprises of Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai and Jayanta Talukdar, is currently ranked fourth in the world and remain a prospective medal contenders in the forthcoming mega event.

"Both Rahul and Tarundeep have the required talent and experience to win medals at the Olympics. They need to be managed in a proper scientific manner," OGQ chief executive officer (CEO) and former India hockey player Viren Rasquinha, said.

"Our research team feels that the priority is to provide them with world class equipment, more foreign exposure for training and a mental trainer," the former Olympian added.

Banerjee said that OGQ's support could make an impact to the archers' Olympic preparations.

"We do need specialised support, especially in terms of world class equipment and a psychologist. OGQ support can make a significant impact to our Olympic preparations," Banerjee was quoted as saying by the organisation's website.

"The OGQ team has already made us feel very comfortable and built a lot of trust which is essential to success. This is a big boost to our confidence and preparations for the London Olympics," said Rai, who became the first Indian to win an individual men's silver medal in archery at 2010 Asian Games in Gaungzhou, China.

Banerjee and Rai have won two golds and a silver medal in the three archery World Cups, as part of Indian Men's Recurve team in the last one year.

The duo also played a vital role in helping the Indian Recurve team win a bronze at last year's Asian Games.