Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Salt Lake, Kolkata:
Other SportsSahil, Shreya dream of winning an elusive Olympic medal in their eyes
Sahil, Shreya dream of winning an elusive Olympic medal in their eyes
Two successful archers. Sahil Rajesh Yadav. Won gold in the individual category and silver in the team category at the 2025 World University Games held in Germany. The other is Shreya Bharadwaj. Won 3 golds at the 2025 World Police and Fire Games. They were felicitated at the SAI Purbanchal and National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata on Friday. They were felicitated by the regional director of the Kolkata SAI centre, Amarjyoti, and three coaches Bombayla Devi, Mangal Singh Champia and Reena Kumari.
Sitting on the reception stage, 24-year-old archer Sahil from Maharashtra told the story of his amazing rise. Although he was fond of games like chess, rope skipping, karate as a child, Sahil was inspired to take up archery when he was in the 11th standard by a neighbor. Those initial days were very difficult. Sahil's family had to go through a lot of trouble to provide him with the latest bow and arrows to participate in the competition. His father had to quit his job. His mother earned money by selling jewelry. At one time, it seemed that Sahil would have to give up archery due to lack of money. But with the help of indomitable determination and family support, Sahil has achieved amazing success at the international level today.Sahil, a student of Karambir Varao Patil University, won gold at the FISU World University Games, defeating Ajay Scott of Great Britain in a close fight (149-148) in the final. His serious lessons in archery began at the Drusthu Academy in Satara under the guidance of coach Praveen Sawant. The achievement of winning gold is inspiring Sahil to dream bigger. For now, the goal is to win gold at the Japan Asian Games. To win a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Sahil's favorite compound event has been included in LA. So, the elusive Olympic medal in archery can be expected in Los Angeles by holding Sahil's hand. Sahil's voice also has a tone of confidence. He said, 'Coaches like Haresh Kumar, Praveen Sawant, Rahul Banerjee have always helped me to keep my focus right. After winning silver in the individual event was confirmed, a relaxed feeling came over me. They are the ones who told me, you can't be satisfied with just silver. You have to jump with full concentration to win gold. The results are in.’ 23-year-old Shreya Bharadwaj, a boy from Jamshedpur, has won a hat-trick of gold medals in the outdoor, 3D and field recurve archery categories in Alabama, USA. Bharadwaj, who has shown mental strength in three different formats, is also looking to win medals on an important international stage. In the past, archery has repeatedly failed to win medals on the international stage. Olympians Bombayla Devi, Mangal Singh Champia and Reena Kumari shared their experiences today. Like them, Sahil’s coach Haresh Kumar also agrees that the mental fitness or concentration needed to win medals on a stage like the Olympics is not there when you reach the threshold of winning a medal. That is the only deficiency. That is where most Indian players are struggling. For that, mental fitness coaches and psychologists are essential to increase the mental strength of the players. Moreover, special preparation is essential. Creating an artificial environment like the Olympics to increase archers' concentration and practice will yield results.