Who is Bhajan Kaur? All you need to know about the Indian archer competing at the Paris Olympics 2024
Indian archery has found a rising star in Bhajan Kaur, who is set to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Born on August 25, 2005, in Sirsa, Haryana, she will be competing at the Olympics at just 18 years of age.
Bhajan Kaur’s father, Bhagawan Singh, works as a farmer. Her interest in archery was nurtured from a young age, and her talent was evident early on. In 2021, she joined the prestigious Tata Archery Academy, which provided her with the platform to hone her skills and compete at higher levels.
Bhajan made her international debut at the 2022 Asia Cup Leg-2 shortly after joining the Tata Archery Academy. Since then, she has represented India in numerous international tournaments.
One of her significant achievements came at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, where she won a bronze medal in the women’s recurve team event. She replicated this success at the 2023 Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok.
Bhajan Kaur has received considerable financial support to aid her training and competition needs. Under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), she has been granted Rs. 3,25,000. Additionally, through the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC), she has received Rs. 83,71,451. The government has also provided financial assistance for physiotherapy equipment for the national archery team, amounting to Rs. 8,96,400.
Bhajan Kaur’s recent performance coming into the Paris Olympics 2024
Bhajan Kaur secured her spot in the Paris Olympics 2024 by winning a gold medal at the Archery Final Olympic Qualifier in June 2024 in Turkey.
In the current season, Bhajan has been performing exceptionally well, with an average arrow score of 9.10, a notable improvement from her career average of 8.94. She is currently ranked World No. 45, with her career-best ranking of 36 achieved in June 2023.
Her best qualification score this season is 662, slightly below her career best of 668 from the previous year. In June 2024, she also won a bronze medal in mixed recurve archery at the Antalya 2024 Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 3.