Atanu, Mehuli re-included in TOPS

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Olympian and World Championship silver medallist archer Atanu Das has been reincluded in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) following his impressive performances at the domestic circuit and the Archery World Cup in Antalya this year.

An overview of the news

• Atanu, who shot 673 to finish fourth in the men's recurve individual rankings, is returning to international outdoor competition after almost one-and-a-half years.

• The other big name to feature in TOPS is rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, who won the 10m air rifle event at the National Shooting Trials this year.

• Apart from this, 15-year-old Tilottama Sen has also been included.

• Tilottama Sen had earlier this year won a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle event at the Cairo World Cup, her debut in the senior circuit.

• A total of 27 new names were added to the TOPS Core and Development lists, taking the total number of TOPS athletes to 270 (101 in Core, 269 in Development).

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) 

• It was created in July 2014 under the auspices of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with the objective of identifying and preparing potential medal prospects for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

• The idea of the scheme is to look to the future and fund a developmental group of athletes who have the potential to bring medals to the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.