By Asia Samachar | India |
Promising Indian archer Bhajan Kaur has less about a month to prepare for the battle of her life – the Olympics.
The 18-year-old prodigy made the cut for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which begins next month, when she clinched the gold at the final world qualifying tournament in Antalya on Sunday (June 18).
She secured India’s first women’s individual recurve archery quota for the 2024 Olympics.
“Practice, practice and more practice…” she told World Archery after the win on her plans for Paris 2024. “The biggest things I should have are confidence and belief in myself.”
The Haryana-hailing archer did her Nachiketan Public School in Ellenabad in Sirsa. She did her schooling at Nachiketan Public School, Ellenabad.
She is supported by Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), a foundation founded by Indian sporting legends Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone aimed to create a level playing field for Indian athletes to enable them to be competitive at the highest level of sport.
In the Antalya tournament, Bhajan defeated Iran’s Mobina Fallah 6-2 in the final, with Fallah also securing her nation’s first ticket to the Olympics.
The teenage Indian played a near-perfect game – thanks to her amazing consistency and focus on the day. She dropped just five points in four sets with her scorecard appearing as 28, 29, 29 and 29.
She had earlier defeated Moldova’s Alexandra Mirca (6-2), Poland’s Wioleta Myszor (6-0), Slovenia’s Urska Cavic (7-3) in the semi-finals, quarter-finals and fourth round matches before claiming the gold.
“There was pressure throughout but I had the self-belief that if others can do it, why can’t I? I practiced hard and had a very good focus and that was the key today,” she said.
This was Bhajan’s first individual gold medal after her bronze medal show at the World Archery Youth Championships 2023 and a silver at Asian Grand Prix circuit 2022.
Before Bhajan’s amazing run, her compatriot Ankita Bhakat has earned India one of the eight quota places on offer in the event. She produced a solid performance to sweep a 6-0 win over Philippines’ Gabrielle Monica Bidaure in the fourth round.
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