Winning Global Gold Medals is "A Test of Focus and Stamina," According to SAI Kolkata Trainees

News Desk, News Nation 360 : Two young archers who recently took home gold medals from significant international competitions were honoured by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Kolkata. Shrey Bhardwaj recently achieved a hat-trick of gold in the World Police and Fire Games in the USA, while NCOE trainee Sahil Rajesh Jadhav secured gold and silver medals at the FISU World University Games in Germany last week. Amar Jyoti, Regional Director-in-Charge at SAI NCOE Kolkata, stated that all of them are immensely pleased with Sahil and Shrey's achievements. These wins are a part of the Kolkata centre's long and illustrious tradition of archery supremacy; they are not merely individual successes. The success of Sahil and Shrey demonstrates that this legacy is in capable hands and reaffirms their dedication to raising the next generation of winners. These victories will surely motivate their younger athletes who are just beginning their careers, and they see tremendous promise here for the future. SAI NCOE Kolkata continues to be India's premier archery centre, churning out world-class archers who compete internationally. At present, 47 archers are trained there, of which 30 are recurve, 15 compound, and two para-archers. These athletes have won 23 national gold medals and five international gold medals in the last two years, reflecting the excellence of the centre. Worth mentioning here is 24-year-old Jadhav from Maharashtra, who bagged a gold medal in the men's compound category at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, beating Great Britain's Ajay Scott by just one point, 149-148. He also contributed to India bagging a silver in men's compound with a close battle against Turkey. One of them was 23-year-old Shrey Bhardwaj from Jamshedpur, who came on board in 2024, and pulled off a triple gold sweep in recurve—outdoor, 3D, and field divisions—at the World Police and Fire Games in Birmingham, USA. The demanding 3D category involves shooting targets in semi-darkness and uneven terrain. The legacy of SAI Kolkata goes back to the late 1980s with Limba Ram, who trained here and won the Asian championship in 1992. Great Olympians such as Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, and Bombayla Devi also trained at this centre, making it a top training venue for Indian archery.

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