Paris Olympics 2024 | EXCLUSIVE: Motherhood could have cost Olympian Deepika, husband Atanu wouldn’t let it

New mom. Muscle stiffness. Fitness struggles. Former World No 1. Three-time Olympian. Strong revival within 19 months of delivery. Deepika Kumari has game.

And if it weren't for her archer husband Atanu Das' steadfast backing, she would not have come this far.

Most of all, he saw possibility.

"I had never stopped believing in Deepika. During this whole time, she would break down almost every day and say things like, ‘I have to quit archery', ‘I can't do it any longer', and everything is over for me now'. I had to take care of both Vedika (daughter) and her. I always pushed her, motivating her to excel. I can't put it into words now. It took a lot of time, but we knew she would make a strong comeback one day," Das, who missed out on the Olympic team this year, told Mid-Day.

He continued, "After her gold in the Goa National Games (November, 2023), she began getting her confidence back. She is in fine form right now, I keep telling her to keep the pressure at bay…that ‘you have achieved a lot in all these years, there is nothing to prove to anyone today, so there is no pressure'."

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Perhaps then, Das can heave a little sigh of relief after India, by virtue of their fourth rank, secured a direct berth in the women's team event on Thursday, positioning themselves merely two rounds away from contention for a podium finish. Ankita Bhakat secured 11th spot in the individual ranking round, achieving a score of 666, while Bhajan Kaur settled in the 22nd position. Meanwhile, Deepika orchestrated a notable comeback, finishing 23rd after initially occupying the 37th position during the early phase of the event.

His perseverance, with her help, meant guiding India to its first-ever silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in men's recurve team event by bettering the twin bronze won in 2006 Doha and 2010 Guangzhou.

Her perseverance, with his help, has instead turned her into the favourite to win a medal in the individual event this year, which could be India's first Olympic medal in this discipline.

"We speak every day on the phone. I was with her when her training kicked into high gear. I saw her pushing her body to its limits and testing her mental ability to deal with the stress and pressure that comes with representing the country on the biggest global stage. I am rooting for her in the individual event," said Atanu.

Not even 10 years ago, it was all but unthinkable that a mother who had put her body through childbirth could make waves again in the field of sports. But the difficult moments were when it helped the most to have each other's support, as the 32-year-old puts it.

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Paris 2024 is significant for Deepika in many ways. She could leave the Games having made history. However, among other things, this is the first Olympics that she will compete in as a mother.

If she indeed medals in Paris, her daughter Vedika may be too small to comprehend the outcome of her mother's achievement but for both Deepika and Atanu, it would be a fantasy come to life. "She doesn't make a fuss but is very naughty. Staying apart from parents at this age is never okay, but we are no ordinary parents. I think she is coping well, given her age. It's like a full-time job, it gets too tough sometimes (laughs)," he chuckled heartily.

Deepika has had two previous attempts, in London 2012 and Rio 2016, to secure maiden Olympic archery gold for India, falling short both times. However, she believed Tokyo would be different. She had the ball rolling that year, clinching two gold in the Archery World Cup Stage I in April, followed by a hat-trick of gold medals at the prestigious Stage III event in Paris. Despite having surpassed her past Olympic performances by reaching the top eight, she suffered a disappointing loss in the quarterfinals to top seed An San of Korea, who defeated the Indian 6-0.

Devastated by the defeat, Deepika came to find solace in knowing she was not alone in her struggles. But Das too failed to live up to the expectations and was brought to his knees by Japan's Furukawa Takaharu.

"I think the men's team has a good chance of bringing us a medal. Women's team is good as well, so if they both manage to win this time, it is even better. In individual events, I am rooting for my wife and Dhiraj (Bommadevara)," he said.

A medal would be nice, but by simply stepping foot in Paris after all that she had to go through - with her 19-month-old daughter and the whole world watching, Deepika, you have already won!