Jharkhand's dominance falls as pockets of archery spring up in other Indian states

The medal tally at the recently-concluded 38th Sub-Junior National Archery Championships held in Maharashtra’s Amravati district makes for an interesting read. Results show that archers from Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are at the forefront. States like Jharkhand, Assam and Uttar Pradesh have taken a backseat in the age group competition this year.

Sanjeeva Kumar Singh, high performance director of the Archery Association of India, spoke on the matter and said:

“It’s healthy sign that archery is spreading out to other states in India. Previously it was confined to one or two regions in India. Primarily Jharkhand was the main hub of archery in India. The trend is changing. Archers from Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan were among the medal winners in the sub-junior national championship held recently in Maharashtra."

States like Haryana, Mahrashtra and Punjab are challenging Jharkhand's dominance in the sport

According to AAI's high performance director, pockets of archery training centers have come up in Northern India, particularly in Haryana and Punjab. Rajasthan is also becoming a new breeding ground in archery.

Patiala in Punjab is the main archery center. Pune, Amravati and Ahmednagar are among the main hubs of archery in Maharashtra, according to a national coach.

While in conversation with Sportskeeda, he said:

“Pockets of training centers across states like Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are acting as breeding grounds of archery in India these days. Since training centers have also come up in other states, the dominance of the state like Jharkhand is on wane."

At the Amravati’s Sub-Junior National Championships held earlier in November, Maharashtra dominated compound events. In the recurve event, an Olympic discipline, athletes from Northern India were among the medal winners. .

Compound archer Parth Sunil Korde from Maharashtra walked away with four gold medals, including a mixed-team at the 38th Sub-Junior National Championships.

In the past, junior nationals were dominated by archers from Jharkhand and Pune’s Army Sports Institute (ASI). However, the equation has changed now.

Sanjeeva, who is also a Dronacharya awardee, said:

“With the exception of 19-year-old Komalika Bari from Jharkhand, other archers from that state are facing stiff challenges from their rivals. States like Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are catching up."