Home > Sports > Athletics in India > Dola Banerjee
Dola Banerjee
Dola Banerjee is a prominent sportswoman in India, who is popular for her archery skills and has represented the country both nationally and internationally.

Share this Article:

Dola Banerjee, Indian ArcherDola Banerjee is an Indian sportswoman who has made her name and fame through archery in India. She is a popular Indian archer and was born on 2nd June, 1980.

Early life of Dola Banerjee
Dola Benerjee is the younger daughter of Kalpana Banerjee and Ashok Banerjee. She was born in Baranagar, located in the Indian city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. She studied in Baranagar Rajkumari Memorial Girls High School. At a young age of just 8 years old, Dola joined the Baranagar Archery Club.

Career of Dola Benerjee
Barely 16 years old, Dola Banerjee made her first international debut in the Youth World Championship in San Diego in 1996. That was the start and since then she has represented India in several national and international competitions and is a regular member of the Indian archery team. Dola Banerjee represented India at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was ranked 13th in the women`s individual ranking round with a 72 arrow score of 642.

Dola Banerjee won the second international gold medal of her career when she bagged the individual title of the fourth leg of the Meteksan World Cup archery at Dover (England) in August 2007. After winning the 4th leg, she qualified for World Cup final held at Dubai in November 2007 where the winner of four legs competed. She became the world champion in archery by winning the gold medal in women`s individual competition at the archery World Cup held at Dubai in November 2007.

A member in the Sports Development body of the West Bengal Government since July 2011, Dola Banerjee has played a key role in the development of sports in her state. Her contributions in the national level cannot be ignored as over the years she has won more than 52 gold, 21 silver and 8 bronze medals.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
She represented India in the women`s individual competition as well as team events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but was unable to reach the finals of both the events. They were also ranked 6th in the qualifiers. In the individual event, however, she was ranked 31st and lost to Marie-Pier Beaudet of Canada by 8-10 in the tie break, after scoring 108-108 in the full set of arrows.

2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games
In 2010 Commonwealth Games held in the Indian capital of New Delhi she bagged Gold Medal in Women`s Team Recurve with Deepika Kumari and L Bombayala Devi. She also won a Bronze medal on the Recurve Individual event.

Awards Received by Dola Banerjee
Dola Banerjee happens to be the second women archer from India to be honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2005 by the Government of India. She is also the first woman to have been qualified in the Olympics in the individual event on 2004 Athens Olympic. Dola Banerjee was also the recipient of gold in the 2007 World Cup final, along with the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Listed below are some of her achievements:

Year Competition Place
2003 42nd World Archery Championship Lost in Quarter Final
2003 13th Asian Archery Championship 4th Place
2004 2nd European Grand Prix 4th Place
2004 3rd European Grand Prix 7th and 8th Place
2004 XXVII Olympic Games 8th Place
2005 European Grand Prix Gold and Silver
2005 Senior World Archery Championship 4th Place
2005 Asian Archery Championship Bronze
2006 SAF Championship Twice Gold
2006 1st World Cup Participated
2006 2nd World Cup Lost in Quarter Final
2006 SAF Games Twice Gold
2006 4th World Cup 4th Place
2006 Asian Circuit Silver
2006 Asian Games 4th Place
2007 1st World Cup Lost in Quarter Final
2007 2nd World Cup Participated
2007 2nd World Cup Participated
2007 4th World Cup Gold and Bronze
2007 World Archery Championship ÿ-
2007 Asian Archery Championship Bronze
2007 Asian Archery Grand Prix Gold
2007 World Cup Final Gold
2008 1st Archery World Cup Participated
2008 2nd Archery World Cup Participated
2008 3rd Archery World Cup Participated
2008 XXIX Olympic Games 7th Place
2008 Asian Grand Prix Gold
2009 1st World Cup Bronze
2009 2nd World Cup 4th Place
2009 3rd World Cup Bronze
2009 45th World Archery Championship Participated
2009 4th Asian Grand Prix Bronze and Gold
2009 5th Asian Grand Prix Twice Gold
2010 SAF Games Twice Gold
2010 1st Asian Grand Prix Gold
2010 1st World Cup Participated
2010 2nd World Cup 4th Place
2010 3rd World Cup Silver
2010 19th Commonwealth Games Bronze and Gold
2010 16th Asian Games Bronze


Personal life of Dola Banerjee
Dola Banerjee`s younger brother is Rahul Banerjee, who is also an archer in India. She is also the cousin of singers Sagarika and Shaan. Currently employed with the Eastern Railways, Dola Banerjee is married to a corporate professional, Medhadeep Banerjee and together they have a son named Diyan.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Athletics in India


History of Indian Athletics
India enjoys a long history of athletic sportsmanship from the Vedic era to the modern period, and is now actively involved in contemporary forms of athletics.
Sqay Martial Arts
Sqay is a martial art form from Kashmir. Sqay is a Persian word which means `knowledge of war`.
Throwing Events
Throwing events are a part of Olympic and Commonwealth events and go back a long way in history. The throwing events in India came in the limelight after the Second World War.
History of Badminton in India
The history of badminton in India dates back to the mid-18th century when it started to gain popularity in erstwhile Pune.
Gachibowli Indoor Stadium
Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, in Telangana, hosts a number of indoor sporting events like table tennis, boxing, judo, weight lifting and many more
Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla
An international para athlete, Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla is a recipient of both the Arjuna and Padma Shri Awards.
Dronacharya Awards
Dronacharya Award is the prestigious and honourable awards that are being given by the Government of India to the successful Sports Coaches.
Mountaineering in India
Mountaineering in India is popular in the Himalayan and Eastern Karakoram ranges.
Arjuna Awardees in Athletics
The field of Athletics has almost dominated the winners` list of the very much prestigious and honourable "Arjuna Award"
Sambhaji Kadam
Sambhaji Kadam is an Indian basket ball player who competed in FIBA Asia Championship in 2007.
Indian Volleyball Players
Indian Volleyball Players won laurels for their nation from the time of independence of India. Some of the players are proud recipient of Arjun Awards too.
Indian Athletes
Indian Athletes includes those individuals who have made their mark in the international scene with their talent and athletic endeavour.
Gymnastic in India
Gymnastic in India is funded and well supported by Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI). The federation plays a pivotal role in promoting gymnastics in India. Gymnastic in India is now becoming popular after Dipa Karmakar won the bronze medal in the Gymnastics at the 2014 Commonwealth Games - Women`s vault.
Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda
Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda is an Indian athlete born with disability won several accolades in several national and international tournaments.
Handball in India
Handball in India with its entire verve has earned the status of one of the most sought after sports in the country. Handball is concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Vidharbha and Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian Basketball Players
Indian Basketball Players have shown great performances in several international basketball tournaments, including the Olympic Games. Though it is not popular like football and cricket, basketball needs world-class infrastructure to promote new age aspirants.
Indian Martial Arts
Indian Martial Arts exhibit great variety in their form and style. In modern India, martial arts have become one of the necessities especially for girls. Different regions of the country have different martial art forms, which have contributed towards the richness of this art form.
Indian Golf Players
Indian Golf Players in the recent years have brought laurels to our country by winning some of the major international golf titles. The most successful Indian golfers in India are Jeev Milkha Singh and Anirban Lahiri.
Indian National Basketball Team
Indian National Basketball Team is representing men’s section in basketball championships.
Pole Vault
Pole Vault is a part of Olympic event since 1896. Pole Vault is in recent times gaining popularity for the best performances of V. S. Surekha, Karamjit Kaur and Dhirendra Kumar.