Archer Aditi Gopichand Swami has bigger goals after KIYG gold
Olympian archer Pravin Jadhav has played a huge role in popularising the sport in the interiors of Maharashtra, particularly in his native Satara. Young children have been picking up the sport and joining nearby academies to learn the art of bow and arrow. One such aspiring archer, Aditi Gopichand Swami, was inducted in a local academy by her father in 2016 after watching Jhadav’s success. There has been no looking back for Swami since. Just last May, she teamed up with Sakshi Chaudhary and Parneet Kaur to win gold at the Archery Asia Cup 2022 Stage 2 at Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
On Sunday, the 15-year-old bolstered Maharashtra’s medal tally by winning an individual gold in the compound event at the Khelo India Youth Games at Panjab University ground in Chandigarh. Swami logged a convincing 144-137 win over Punjab’s Avneet Kaur to grab the top honours and put her state ahead.
“It is my first Khelo Games and I am thrilled to have won an individual gold to help my state gather momentum in the medal tally. With each contest, one improves in archery. I am trying to gain experience and use it in future tournaments,” said Swami, who idolises India’s ace archer from Andhra Pradesh Jyothi Surekha Vennam.
It was difficult for Swami to cope up with the lockdowns placed in Maharashtra because of the raging pandemic and train through video calls with her coach. “Year 2020 was when I would have played a lot of junior tournaments. I could not go to the academy to train but my coach provided me with some equipment which I set up outside my house on a small piece of land. When the restrictions were removed, I started devoting more time at the academy. I am now preparing for the Youth World Championships to be held in Ireland and also for the Asian Games selection trials,” said Swami whose father is a teacher and her 10-year-old brother is an aspiring archer who trains at the same academy.
“She is the youngest archer in Maharashtra who has won medals in the senior nationals as well along with junior nationals. She is very focussed and devotes most of the time to training and meditation. More exposure will build her confidence. She can be India’s top archer in some years,” felt Swami’s coach Nitu Ingole, who is also a former Maharashtra archer.
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