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Youngest World Champion Archer Eyes Asian Games Glory in China
Youngest World Champion Archer Eyes Asian Games Glory in China
Sputnik India
In an exclusive interview with Sputnik India, India's prodigious archer Aditi Swami shares what it feels like to be the youngest world champion in archery.
2023-09-05T17:37+0530
2023-09-05T17:37+0530
2023-09-05T17:37+0530
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Aditi Swami has set her sights on winning a gold medal at the forthcoming Hangzhou Asian Games (often called the Olympics of Asia), set to take place in the Chinese city from September 23 to October 8 this year.Last month, the 17-year-old hailing from Maharashtra state's Satara district, a place famous for its sugarcane cultivation, scripted history, becoming the youngest world champion in archery.Swami, who incidentally trains at a makeshift academy built on a one-acre plot that previously housed a sugarcane field, clinched a gold medal in the individual compound event at the World Archery Championships held in Berlin.Notably, this was Swami's second yellow metal at the prestigious competition, having previously finished on top of the podium in the women's compound team event where she participated alongside fellow Indians Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Parneet Kaur.Among other accolades that Swami has earned in her brief career, as an archer, is winning the junior world title earlier this year.With the teenage prodigy emerging as a shining star on the South Asian nation's sports landscape, Sputnik India caught up with her to ask about her plans for the future, what it feels like to be the youngest world champion in archery, how the Indian government is helping in her career progression, and much more.Sputnik India: What does being the youngest world champion in archery mean for you?Aditi Swami: I am extremely happy to achieve this feat because not many people become world champions at the age of 17. Frankly speaking, it was like a dream come true for me because I wasn't expecting such an accomplishment to come my way so soon.Sputnik India: Is winning a gold medal in this month's Asian Games your immediate goal?Aditi Swami: Like I did at the World Championships, I will focus on the process, and attempt to deliver my best during the Asian Games. Though I am not focusing too much on the result as of now, I hope I will be wearing a gold medal around my neck in Hangzhou.As far as my biggest challenger in the Asian Games is concerned, I feel like Jyothi Vennam and the Korean archers would give me tough competition in China.Sputnik India: The discipline of compound archery will not feature in the 2024 Olympics in Paris but could return to the Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Are you disappointed to miss out on the Olympics next year?Aditi Swami: Obviously, I am disappointed to miss out on the Paris Olympics. However, it was my decision to opt for compound archery. Hence, I will wait for the day when my discipline will be a part of the Olympics, which I hope will be in 2028.After all, representing your country in the Olympics is the biggest honor an athlete can earn in her lifetime. Moreover, India has never won a medal in archery in the Olympics, something I would like to correct if given an opportunity.Sputnik India: Who inspired you to take up archery as a profession, and who's your role model in the sport?Aditi Swami: I used to watch the sport in my childhood. Once my father took me to an archery event and I instantly fell in love with it. Subsequently, my father took a loan from a bank to enroll me in an archery academy and this is how my journey as an archer began.As I learned the traits of archery and started achieving success, winning medals regularly, I continued to pursue my dream of becoming the world's best archer.My role models in the sport are my compatriot Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Colombian archer Sara Lopez who holds numerous world records in archery, including being the first female to accomplish a perfect (score of) 150 in a World Cup.I have been following Vennan for years, having viewed videotapes of her performances several times, and now I watch her from close quarters as we both are national team members.Sputnik India: Has any government organization or Archery Association of India providing any kind of monetary support to you?Aditi Swami: Since being selected for the Indian national archery team, organizations like the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) have come to support me in my archery endeavors.In the past, compound archery used to struggle for sponsors. However, things have changed now. At present, I am receiving a scholarship of INR 50,000 ($602). Plus expenses on equipment, including arrows, quivers, and other things are being provided by central government-run agencies only.
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Youngest World Champion Archer Eyes Asian Games Glory in China
Exclusive
In an exclusive interview with Sputnik India, India's prodigious archer Aditi Swami shares what it feels like to be the youngest world champion in archery.
Aditi Swami has set her sights on winning a gold medal at the forthcoming Hangzhou Asian Games (often called the Olympics of Asia), set to take place in the Chinese city from September 23 to October 8 this year.
India is emerging as a major sports powerhouse in Asia after making giant strides in multi-sports events like the Olympics, the Asian Games, and the Commonwealth Games.
Last month, the 17-year-old hailing from Maharashtra state's Satara district, a place famous for its sugarcane cultivation, scripted history, becoming the youngest world champion in archery.
Swami, who incidentally trains at a makeshift academy built on a one-acre plot that previously housed a sugarcane field, clinched a
gold medal in the individual compound event at the
World Archery Championships held in Berlin.
Notably, this was Swami's second yellow metal at the prestigious competition, having previously finished on top of the podium in the women's compound team event where she participated alongside fellow Indians Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Parneet Kaur.
This was the first time an Indian team bagged a gold medal in the women's compound at the Championships.
Among other accolades that Swami has earned in her brief career, as an archer, is winning the junior world title earlier this year.
With the teenage prodigy emerging as a shining star on the South Asian nation's sports landscape, Sputnik India caught up with her to ask about her plans for the future, what it feels like to be the youngest world champion in archery, how the Indian government is helping in her career progression, and much more.
Sputnik India: What does being the youngest world champion in archery mean for you?
Aditi Swami: I am extremely happy to achieve this feat because not many people become world champions at the age of 17. Frankly speaking, it was like a dream come true for me because I wasn't expecting such an accomplishment to come my way so soon.
Sputnik India: Is winning a gold medal in this month's Asian Games your immediate goal?
Aditi Swami: Like I did at the World Championships, I will focus on the process, and attempt to deliver my best during the Asian Games. Though I am not focusing too much on the result as of now, I hope I will be wearing a gold medal
around my neck in Hangzhou.
As far as my biggest challenger in the Asian Games is concerned, I feel like Jyothi Vennam and the Korean archers would give me tough competition in China.
Sputnik India: The discipline of compound archery will not feature in the 2024 Olympics in Paris but could return to the Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Are you disappointed to miss out on the Olympics next year?
Aditi Swami: Obviously, I am disappointed to miss out on the Paris Olympics. However, it was my decision to opt for compound archery. Hence, I will wait for the day when my discipline will be a part of the Olympics, which I hope will be in 2028.
After all, representing your country in the Olympics is the biggest honor an athlete can earn in her lifetime. Moreover, India has never won a medal in archery in the Olympics, something I would like to correct if given an opportunity.
Sputnik India: Who inspired you to take up archery as a profession, and who's your role model in the sport?
Aditi Swami: I used to watch the sport in my childhood. Once my father took me to an archery event and I instantly fell in love with it. Subsequently, my father took a loan from a bank to enroll me in an archery academy and this is how my journey as an archer began.
As I learned the traits of archery and started achieving success, winning medals regularly, I continued to pursue my dream of becoming the world's best archer.
My role models in the sport are my compatriot Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Colombian archer Sara Lopez who holds numerous world records in archery, including being the first female to accomplish a perfect (score of)
150 in a World Cup.
I have been following Vennan for years, having viewed videotapes of her performances several times, and now I watch her from close quarters as we both are national team members.
Sputnik India: Has any government organization or Archery Association of India providing any kind of monetary support to you?
Aditi Swami: Since being selected for the Indian national archery team, organizations like the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) have come to support me in my archery endeavors.
In the past, compound archery used to struggle for sponsors. However, things have changed now. At present, I am receiving a scholarship of INR 50,000 ($602). Plus expenses on equipment, including arrows, quivers, and other things are being provided by central
government-run agencies only.
