Meet the 5 Indian archers gunning for gold at Paralympics 2021
India has sent a five-member archery team to the Tokyo Paralympics 2021 who will look to make the nation proud when the competition gets underway at the Dream Island Archery Park in Tokyo Bay Zone. The Indians will be competing with around 140 other archers in the nine events scheduled to take place from August 27-September 4.
The Indian team comprises four men and one woman, of whom three are compound archers while the other two are in the recurve category.
With the Paralympics ranking rounds set to be held on Friday, here's a detailed look at the five Indian archers gunning for glory in the Japanese capital.
#1 Vivek Chikara (Recurve)
Meerut's 30-year-old Vivek Chikara holds an MBA in retail management and has also worked for big brands such as Mahindra & Mahindra. A career in sports was perhaps something he had never planned until a fateful night on 1st January 2017 when his life changed.
While returning from New Year's Eve celebrations, his motorcycle collided with a speeding truck and his left leg had to be amputated from below the knee.
He found a new lease of life in archery, a sport to which he was introduced by Olympian Satyadev Prasad. Having taken up the sport in 2018, the recurve archer has already made a mark with a gold medal at the 2019 Asian Para Archery Championships.
He will look to give the top names a run for their money at the Paralympic Games.
Read: Vivek Chikara's journey from a horrendous accident in 2017 to representing India at the Paralympics 2021
#2 Harvinder Singh (Recurve)
Hailing from Haryana's Kaithal district, Harvinder Singh is the other recurve archer in the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Paralympics. Harvinder suffered a bout of dengue when he was one and a half years old, for which he was administered an injection. It had an adverse effect, robbing him of proper function in his legs.
But watching live archery matches at the 2012 London Olympics sparked new life in Harvinder. He sought to explore that field and enrolled himself at an archery range the day after.
Harvinder made his international debut at the 2017 Para Archery World Championships, where he finished seventh. He has since gone on to reach new heights, adding the 2018 Asian Para Games gold and the 2019 Asian Para Championships bronze to his kitty.
He collected the open mixed recurve gold at the 7th Fazza Para Archery Ranking tournament earlier in the year and will look to carry that stellar form into the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Read: India at Paralympics 2021 (Day 3, 27th August) schedule: When and where to watch Team India, events, timings in IST and live streaming details
#3 Shyam Sundar Swami (Compound)
Son of a vegetable seller in Bikaner, the 24-year-old Shyam Sundar Swami is the youngest member of the Indian archery squad at the Tokyo Paralympics. His journey in the sport began when national para archery coach Anil Joshi spotted his talent and convinced his father to buy archery equipment with his meager savings.
The compound archer has since gone on to impress, becoming the first Rajasthani archer to represent the nation at the Paralympics. He secured qualification through the World Para Championships in 2019, where he finished ninth.
The World No. 17, who is paralyzed in one limb, began the year in stunning fashion, winning a couple of silver medals in individual and mixed team events at the World Ranking Tournament, FAZZA Cup in Dubai. He will be looking to replicate that performance at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Read: Paralympics 2021: Indian archery team start off preparations with their first training session in Tokyo
#4 Rakesh Kumar (Compound)
Jammu's Rakesh Kumar found comfort in archery when he was at the lowest point of his life. A devastating car accident in 2009 saw him bed-ridden for more than six months and has since left him confined to a wheelchair.
Rakesh suffered from depression post that horrific incident and with his family's financial condition deteriorating, he attempted to take his life thrice. His friends and family saved him after which he began a new journey.
Rakesh used to run a roadside shop in Katra to make ends meet and was spotted by a coach in 2017. He has since excelled in arhcery, winning three gold medals.
He is currently ranked 10th in the world in open compound archery and has emerged as India's best hope for a medal at the Paralympics. In 2018, Rakesh was part of the gold medal-winning team at the European Circuit 2nd leg. The following year he bagged a mixed team bronze at the 5th Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament.
This year, Rakesh won an individual gold medal at the 7th Fazza Para Archery Ranking and will be keen to continue the momentum at the Tokyo Paralympics. An admirer of Sachin Tendulkar, Rakesh hopes to meet the cricket legend if he manages to finish on the podium in the Japanese capital.
Read: Paralympian Rakesh Kumar: From trying to end his life to being India's best compound archer
#5 Jyoti Baliyan (Compound)
27-year-old Muzaffarnagar resident Jyoti Baliyan is the only female member of the Indian archery squad. A wrong injection at a very young age led to Baliyan, a farmer's daughter, suffering from life-long polio. Thus, she was unable to fulfill her father's dream of making it as a professional volleyball player.
Baliyan took up archery in 2009 and tasted success soon after. She is currently honing her skills under the tutelage of Kuldeep Kumar at the Shri Vaishno Devi Sports Complex in Katra, Jammu, where fellow Paralympian Rakesh Kumar also trains.
Earlier this year, Baliyan bagged a couple of silver medals at the Fazza Para Archery Ranking tournament in Dubai and finished 17th at the World Championship in Netherlands. She will be looking to make the nation proud when she begins her Paralympic journey at the Dream Island Archery Park on Friday.
Read: Paralympics 2021: From polio to podium - Indian para archer Jyoti Baliyan's rise to the top