India’s young archers battle adversity to hit the target Premium

The medal haul at the recent World Youth Championships proved that the juniors can beat the best in difficult conditions. The challenge for the country’s archery system now is to ensure that these youngsters realise their full potential at the highest level

In the harshest of conditions and toughest of fields at the World Youth Championships, featuring under-18 and under-21 competitions, in Limerick, Ireland, last month, Indian archers collected the highest number of medals (11) to paint a bright picture of the future.

India’s tally, including three gold medals apiece in the individual and team events, reduced by four medals in comparison with the previous edition in Wroclaw two years ago, but the archers’ consistency despite the increased odds speaks of the quality of the country’s youngsters.

Even though Russia (which won four medals in 2021) was absent in Limerick, the field became a lot tougher because of the entry of countries such as powerhouse Korea (which topped the table with 11 medals including six gold, four silver and one bronze), China (four), Great Britain (three) and Chinese Taipei (two).

“This time the performance came in very adverse conditions. It was chilly, raining and windy, but we did very well. Last time China and Korea, two major contenders, were not there. Despite that we had the highest number of medals. The gold against Korea [Parth Salunkhe beat Injun Song to win the under-21 recurve men’s individual title] was special,” said Sanjeeva Singh, the Indian team’s high performance director.

Salunkhe, who had claimed a mixed team gold and men’s team gold in 2021, was delighted with his individual crown. “I worked on my approach — physically and mentally. I noticed that archers from successful countries such as Korea and China were focusing on their roots. So I tried going to our roots and practised yoga and meditation. Archery is a mental sport and we always lagged [in terms of] focusing and controlling our heartbeat. Yoga and meditation help one in clear thinking and focusing,” said Salunkhe, who recovered from a shoulder issue last year.

“The individual gold has given me a lot of confidence. While Paris 2024 remains on my radar, my main target is the 2028 Olympics. I want to win not just an Olympic medal, but an Olympic gold medal. I need to overcome my weaknesses and build my game gradually to that level.”

India’s recurve archers winning four out of the 11 medals was a morale booster (as recurve is part of the Olympics). The bronze medals claimed by Bhajan Kaur (under-21 women’s individual), the under-21 mixed team (Ridhi Phor and Salunkhe) and the under-18 men’s team (Agastya Singh, Ujjwal Dhama and Goldi Mishra) added to Salunkhe’s gold.