Meet India's first teeth archer, Abhishek Thaware, who dreams of making it to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

Let's go back in time for a moment -- a time when Abhishek Thaware was just one-year-old. His father, Sunil Thaware had taken him to a hospital when he was suffering from fever. This was where he was given an infected injection and his right arm was afflicted with polio. After this incident, no one would have imagined that Abhishek would go on to make his name in sports and lead an extraordinary life.

Abhishek realised his love for sports during his school days. He started with athletics, wherein he won various medals, long-distance running being his favourite. Achieving all this was when he was participating in the normal category was certainly a huge feat.

This is when he was spotted by Mr. Rajendra Khandal, who ran Adarsh Mandir -- a sporting club. It was him who introduced Abhishek to cross-country running. For nine long years, he was a successful athlete. Unfazed by his disability, he kept on winning medals and would have gone on to become huge, that was until tragedy struck him again.

Sadly, Abhishek was destined for more grief. While practising for a state level tournament, he injured his knee. A doctor operated upon it and advised him to avoid running. However, running was all Abhishek cared for, so disregarding the doctor's advise, he still competed in the event. He even won a Bronze medal in the event, but little did he know that his knee would not allow him to run ever again.

In an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Abhishek tells us, "My journey of sports started with athletics. I had to undergo ligament surgery on my knee and my career in athletics hit a dead-end. That is when I had to divert my attention to Archery."

"I used to go and watch archery my close friend, Sandeep Gawai, who is an archer himself. He is the one who convinced me to take up the sport. I found it to be quite unique and soon took a liking to it. However, as archery is a very expensive sport to pursue, I could not afford to start practicing it back then.

"It was only after two years, in 2014, that I started when I was able to purchase a second-hand kit. I had to get my mother's gold mortgaged to buy it, this was the only option I could see. This was still not enough and my friends Vipin, Mohnish, and Tushar chipped in and supported me financially. After that, I was finally able to purchase the many accessories which are required for the sport. I will forever be indebted to my mother and friends for their innumerable sacrifices for me."

Speaking of how the idea of using his teeth for pulling the arrow came, Abhishek reveals, "Sandeep only told me to try and use my teeth. The people who have trouble in their arm, use their shoulder by putting a wooden clip in it. However, my shoulder was also not strong enough for pulling so much poundage. Hence, the idea of pulling with the teeth struck Sandeep and that is how I started. I had purchased my second-hand equipment with him only, so we got it modified in such a way that I could be able to pull the bowstring with my teeth. I was scared initially but now I had come too far to back off."

Abhishek Thaware practices as younger children look on

Now, you must be thinking that pulling with the teeth will pose a huge threat of injury and you could not be more correct. It is, in fact, extremely dangerous and poses a huge threat of injury.

Telling us how he bears the pain and tackles the injuries, Abhishek tells us,"As we can equate this with lifting a lot of weight, practising archery takes a heavy toll on my neck, scapula, and shoulders. However, with the help of my physio and regular exercises over these years, I have managed to develop the strength which is vital to prevent injuries. I consult Ashish Agarwal, who is my personal physio when I am in Nagpur, and when there is a National camp, then the physio provided by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) takes care of my requirements."

He applauds the SAI by saying, "SAI arranges camps regularly, takes care of our stay and diet when we attend them, overall creating an exceptional environment for honing our skills. However, the state and national level governments have not provided any sort of financial support to me."

"I play in the Compound Open. I am India's first teeth archer but there is no separate category like this. Hence, I compete with other para-archers, even those who have no problems in their upper-body," Abhishek adds.

Besides archery, Abhishek has a keen interest in studying as well. He has completed a Masters in Social Science at DNC College, Nagpur, and further plans to do a Masters in Social Work. "I missed out on applications this time around as I was attending a camp in Haryana. However, next year, I will certainly apply for Masters," Abhishek explains.

Speaking about his training regimen, the 25-year-old says, "I wake up at 5 am in the morning. The training starts at 7:00 am and I take a bus to the range. The coaching goes on till 12:00 pm, sometimes more, and then I head back home. I live with my mother and grandmother, so I have to take care of a few household chores as well.

"After taking care of them, I return to training in the evening at 4 pm. This is mainly physical, involving various stretches and exercises to make my neck stronger. Almost my entire day is taken up by Archery, so I hardly have any time to study, making it impossible to even think of taking up a job. It is a rather difficult situation for me right now, as it is becoming increasingly important for me to provide for myself and my family."

"Making it big in Archery will take consistent and conscientious effort. So if I take up a job, then the time I have for practice will reduce drastically and it will not suffice," he adds.

Abhishek also shares his future plans and goals with us, "The Asian Games are coming up this year in Indonesia. The World Ranking Tournament will also happen soon. I am presently Ranked 5th and need to get it up to 4th in order to qualify for the Asian Games. The moulding, made of a cloth-like material, with which I hold the bow with my teeth was tampered with during a recent event.

"When I put on the new one, then my shooting got affected. There may have been a marginal change in the moulding, but it was difficult for me to readjust. This diverted my attention and affected my game as archery is a mental sport."

L - Abhishek clicks a photo with a fellow Archer, R - Abhishek's coach Chandrakant Ilag

Talking about what he is doing presently, Abhishek says, "I train under Sh. Chandrakant Ilag, who is an Ex-serviceman, Army Sports Institute, and also a Police Constable. He has been my coach for quite some time now and I try to visit him every month. He recognized my talent and came into my life like an angel.

"He told me to start coming to Buldhana for training, where he runs the Dronacharya Academy, even sponsoring my stay there. Thanks to him, I can now pull a poundage of 50-60 pounds. I would love to go to Buldhana and stay there more often, but it is six hours away from where I live and it is important to take care of my family too."

Abhishek has already won many accolades. He is the first Para Archery Player with Team Silver Medal (Compound Abled Category) in Maharashtra State Archery Championship and now he dreams of participating in the Paralympic Games 2020. Besides multiple national championships, Para World Ranking Event, USA; Para Asian Games, 2018; World Archery Para Championship 2019, Netherlands, are some of the other events he is gearing up for besides the Tokyo Paralympics.

Abhishek, who has even represented Nagpur University for two years, is one of the most inspiring athletes I have interacted with. He is a living example of someone for whom giving up was never an option. Although he won various awards and was recognized multiple times for his efforts, the 25-year-old's latest achievement is being selected in the Para Asian Games trials, which were recently concluded in Rohtak, Haryana. He was also selected for the Nagpur Archery Team for State level competitions.

Besides archery, Abhishek has an innate desire to do social work. He works with Animal Care Center Special Contribution for Street Animals. Opening up a restaurant at a later stage in his life is also one of his wishes, likely to have stemmed from his love for food.

Many would have felt that a future full of suffering is inevitable for Abhishek, however, he has defied all odds and turned the tables completely to be where he is at present. Life threw one obstacle after another at him, yet he keeps tacking them gracefully. Abhishek does not cringe, keeps his body and mind stable and hits bull's eye regularly, not only on the archery range but also in life in general. May his dreams of representing India Internationally and winning a medal come to be true.