Harvinder Singh's Historic Archery Gold at Paralympics Ushers in New Era for India

Harvinder Singh's calm and precise performance led him to become India's first Paralympic gold medalist in archery on Wednesday. The 33-year-old, pursuing a PhD in Economics, secured his second successive Paralympics medal after defeating Kevin Mather of the USA in the Tokyo semifinals and winning bronze. Harvinder showed no signs of fatigue or nerves, achieving five consecutive wins in one day.

In the final, Harvinder reserved his best performance, scoring three 10s in his last four arrows to defeat Poland's Lukasz Ciszek 6-0. The scores were 28-24, 28-27, and 29-25, earning India its second archery medal at the ongoing Paralympics. Earlier, Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi had won bronze in the mixed compound open category on Monday.

Harvinder's Journey to Gold

Harvinder became the first Indian archer to reach a Paralympic final by overcoming a 1-3 deficit against Iran's Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri, winning 7-3. In each match, he demonstrated resilience, consistently making comebacks. In the quarterfinals, he defeated world No. 9 Hector Julio Ramirez of Colombia 6-2 and earlier eliminated Tseng Lung-Hui of Chinese Taipei 7-3 in the round of 32.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Harvinder rallied from an initial set deficit to edge out Indonesia's Setiawan Setiawan 6-2. His precision was unmatched in the final as he conceded only two points to secure the first set with a four-point lead. Though Ciszek landed three 9s in the second set, Harvinder’s consistent shooting enabled him to edge out Ciszek by one point, extending his lead to 4-0.

Final Showdown

Harvinder delivered a hat-trick of 10s in the final set, including a perfect inner 10 X. This intensified pressure on Ciszek, who faltered with a 7 followed by a 9. Harvinder clinched gold with a decisive 9 on his final arrow. In the stands, Sheetal Devi celebrated exuberantly as Harvinder bowed, embraced his coach, and proudly waved the Tricolour.

In the semifinal against Kevin Mather, Harvinder narrowly lost the first set 25-26 and tied the second set at 27-27. Maintaining composure, he delivered successive 10s on his final arrows of the third and fourth sets, clinching them 27-25 and 26-24 to take a 5-3 lead.

Overcoming Challenges

Needing a set win in the final end to avoid a shoot-off, Harvinder faced a strong challenge from Ameri. Ameri opened with an X inner 10 followed by an 8 to level the set at 18-18. Under pressure, Ameri faltered with a 7, allowing Harvinder to close out the match with an 8 and advance.

In recurve open class archery, competitors shoot from a standing position at a distance of 70m at a target made up of ten concentric circles. The scoring ranges from ten points down to one point from the centre outwards.

Early Life and Inspiration

Harvinder hails from Ajit Nagar in Haryana and faced significant adversity early in life. At one and a half years old, he contracted dengue; side effects from injections left both his legs impaired. Despite this challenge, he found passion for archery after being inspired by the London Paralympics in 2012.

He made his debut at the Para Archery World Championship in 2017, finishing seventh. A gold medal followed at the Jakarta Asian Para Games in 2018. During COVID-19 lockdowns, his father turned their farm into an archery range to support his training.

Three years ago, Harvinder made history by winning India's first-ever archery medal—a bronze—at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Harvinder Singh’s journey is marked by resilience and determination. His achievements have not only brought pride to India but also inspired many aspiring athletes across the nation.