Bhardwaj, left, and Jadhav show off their recent prizes.
| Photo Credit: SAI Media
World University Games champion archer Sahil Jadhav said coach Rahul Banerjee’s pep talk helped him clinch the gold medal in the keenly-contested compound men’s individual final in Essen, Germany, recently.
On his maiden international trip, Jadhav, who has not won an individual medal at the National level, was delighted after defeating his compatriot Kushal Dalal in the semifinals.
“I was happy to have secured an individual medal. But Rahul bhaiya said, ‘If you want to be a champion, you should not nurture such a mindset.’ His words inspired me for the final,” said Jadhav, who pipped Great Britain’s Ajay Scott 149-148 in the title clash, at a felicitation function organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) regional centre here on Friday.
“I have gone through so many trials and competitions without any success. When I got the opportunity, I wanted to make it count.”
Coming from a humble background in Satara district, Maharashtra, the 24-year-old, who was trained by Pravin Sawant before being coached by SAI’s Haresh Kumar, has overcome a phase of frustration to dream big. “I want to go step-by-step, but the ultimate goal is the Olympics,” said Jadhav.
Hailing from East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, 22-year-old recurve archer Shrey Bhardwaj, who claimed gold medals in outdoor, 3D and field archery at the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) in Birmingham, USA, said the SAI centre’s support played a crucial role in his success.
“I trained during the day and in the evenings and put rocks on the ground to prepare for different formats of the WPFG,” said Bhardwaj, proving that switching from cricket to archery was the correct decision for him.
SAI National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) Regional Director-in-charge Amar Jyoti lauded the archers for carrying forward the legacy of the centre.
Published – August 01, 2025 05:43 pm IST
