Ace archer and member of the Indian Olympic Contingent for the London Olympics 2012, Ms Deepika Kumari, has joined Tata Steel as a Manager in the Company's Sports Department. The development is in line with the Company's philosophy of identifying sporting talent, providing them with opportunities to perform to their optimum at the highest levels of the sport and augmenting their employability potential.

Several eminent sportspersons have been beneficiaries of such a philosophy and have brought laurels to the country after being nurtured by the Company. They include Ms Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to conquer Mt Everest and a Padmashree, Arjuna and National Adventure Award awardee, Mr Dibyendu Barua, Chess Grandmaster and Arjuna Awardee, Mr Charles Borromeo, Padmashree and Arjuna awardee, Mr Bagicha Singh, Arjuna awardee, and Mr Jayanta Talukdar, Archer representing India in the London Olympics 2012, among others.

Born in 1994, Deepika joined Tata Archery Academy in 2008 and has since honed her skills in archery in the academy. Sheer perseverance and commitment to the sport saw her becoming the Sub Junior Champion and Senior National Champion soon thereafter.

Deepika won the Gold Medal in the Youth World Championship in Turkey in 2008. She represented the Indian team that won the Silver Medal in the 1st Asian Archery Grand Prix held at Bangkok in 2009. She won the Silver Medal in World Cup Stage III held at Ogden in August 2010.

At the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010, Deepika won the Gold in the individual event and a Bronze in the team event. She has represented India in the Asian Games 2010 held at China and won the Bronze Medal in the team event. Deepika, the current World No. 1, is representing India in the London Olympics 2012.

About Tata Steel:
Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the leading steel manufacturers in the world with an annual crude steel capacity of over 27 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 26.13 billion in FY 12, has over 81,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group's vision is to be the world's steel industry benchmark in "Value Creation" and "Corporate Citizenship" through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management.