With a bronze in the men’s individual recurve event in Tokyo on Friday, Harvinder Singh became the first Indian to earn a medal in archery at the Paralympics. The Indian won a thrilling bronze medal match against Kim Min Su of South Korea in a shoot-out to write India’s history at the Tokyo Paralympics. In the shoot-off, Harvinder Singh shot a 10 to beat the South Korean’s 8 and win the bronze medal match 6-5.
More About Harvinder Singh:
Harvinder Singh, India’s top para archer, was born on February 25, 1991, in the isolated town of Kaithal in Haryana. Harvinder Singh comes from a poor home and is the son of a farmer, Paramjeet Singh. . He contracted dengue fever when he was just one and a half years old. A local doctor gave him an injection that caused his legs to stop working correctly.
Harvinder Singh went on to university to study economics for a doctorate. He now holds a Master’s and a Doctorate in Economics from Punjabi University in Patiala. Singh first observed archers in training in 2010. He saw a telecast of the sport from the London 2012 Paralympics two years later. It inspired him to go to the target range himself.
Achievements Of Harvinder Singh:
Harvinder Singh did well and won gold in archery at the national level before making his international debut. His skill and outstanding success in national-level archery tournaments raised hopes for India’s future archery superstar.
Harvinder Singh made his debut at the Para Archery World Championships in Beijing in 2017, where he placed seventh after a lot of practice and hard work. Singh competed in his third international tournament after making his debut on the world stage a year before. Harvinder made history as the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in para archery at the 2018 Asian Para Games (APG) in Indonesia. He also took home a bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Para Archery Championships in Bangkok.
Harvinder Singh Wins Bronze Medal:
Harvinder Singh was on fire in the medal match. He got off to a flying start, scoring a ten with his first arrow. He went on to win the first set 26-24 with a 7 and 9. The South Korean rallied to take the second set 29-27 and tie the match at 2-2 with a 9, 10, 10 performance. Harvinder, on the other hand, stuck to his guns and kept working. He scored 28 points on two 10s and an 8. His opponent only managed 25 as the Indians seized a 4-2 lead.
Harvinder began things off brilliantly with two 9s, while Kim Min Su fired a 9 and an 8. With only one set to go, Harvinder Singh needed to win only one more set. The Korean, on the other hand, hit a 10 with his final arrow, compared to Harvinder’s 9, to win the fifth set 27-28 and force a shoot-off. Kim Min Su was the first to go in the shoot-off, scoring a good 8 points. Harvinder Singh produced a stunning arrow to gather 10 points and India’s 13th medal in Tokyo so far, despite the pressure of the bronze medal on his shoulders.
Harvinder Singh’s never-say-die mentality has enabled him to experience success and achieve great heights. He is an inspiration to many young people across the country who have lost faith after a few setbacks.
