Who is Ankita Bhakat? Know everything about India's ace archer in the Paris Olympics 2024

NEW DELHI: Ankita Bhakat, a debutant at Olympics, outperformed experienced archers like Deepika Kumar and Bhajan Kaur to secure the 11th position in the women's individual recurve qualifications for the Paris Olympics. India also earned a quarterfinal berth in the team event, finishing fourth. The 26-year-old Ankita led the Indian women with 666 points, trailed by Bhajan Kaur (22nd, 559 points) and Deepika Kumari (23rd, 658 points).
Last year, Ankita gained attention as part of the Indian team that clinched the bronze medal in the women's team recurve event at the 2023 Asian Games. She collaborated with Simranjeet Kaur and Bhajan Kaur in Hangzhou, where they triumphed over Vietnam 6-2 in the bronze medal match.

Ankita recently secured her spot in the Paris Olympics by reaching the quarterfinals of the World Archery Olympic Qualifier 2024 in Antalya, Turkey, last month. Despite losing to Iran's Mobina Fallah in the final eight, she showcased her skills by defeating Shelley Hilton, Mikaella Moshe, and Gabrielle Monica Bidaure en route to the knockouts.
Ankita Bhakat's profile and journey
Ankita, born on June 17, 1998, in Kolkata, West Bengal, is an accomplished Indian archer specialising in the recurve category. She began her archery journey at the tender age of ten, receiving her foundational training at the Calcutta Archery Club before advancing to the Tata Archery Academy where she refined her abilities under the guidance of Ram Awadesh, Purnima Mahato, and Dharmendra Tiwari.
In 2015, Ankita represented India at the Seoul International Youth Archery Festa, where she showcased her skills and secured two medals. The following year, she continued her winning streak at the 2016 Asia Cup, clinching gold medals in both the women's individual recurve and team events.
Ankita's achievements continued to mount as she claimed a gold medal in the junior mixed team category at the 2017 World Youth Archery Championships. She also earned a silver medal at the Asian Continental Qualification Tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In 2019, she added a gold and a silver medal to her collection at the Asia Cup. More recently, at the 2021 Guatemala City World Cup Stage, Ankita secured a gold medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the mixed team event, further solidifying her position as a rising star in the world of archery.