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The 2023 Asian Games was an immensely successful event for India as a country, with an unprecedented haul of 107 medals showcasing the nation's sporting prowess and ability to better past results. Archery, in particular, played a huge role in aiding the medal haul with 12 different archers winning medals in the cross-continental event.
Prathamesh Jawkar, who hails from Buldana in Maharashtra, was part of the men's compound team that won gold in the Asian Games. He, along with Abhishek Verma and Ojas Deotale, defeated Jaehoon Joo, Jaewon Yang, and Jongho Kim 235-230 in a thrilling match to seal the gold medal for India at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre Final Field.
The clash was a topsy-turvy battle of high-quality archery, with India maintaining a slender lead through the course of the match. Initially, they led 58-55 thanks to five nine-pointers by the South Koreans. Yet another miss to score a 10 by the South Koreans saw India gain a lead of a point in End 2. India's accuracy was on point and they struck the inner circle to lead 116-114.
The next round saw the Indians maintain their high standards and finished End 3 175-171. South Korea fought hard to stage a comeback but India slowly ensured the lead gained over the course of the match was enough to secure a win. India scored 60/60 in End 4 and eventually emerged as the victors in China.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Prathamesh Jawkar spoke about his successful efforts in Hangzhou in the team event.
"Despite not doing well in the individual event, India's performance and my teammates winning silver and gold is great when I look at it from a bigger perspective. So, if I look at it positively, it was a clean sweep for the compound archery team. I am happy with the result of the team," he said.
Prathamesh then spoke about his disappointment in losing out on a medal in the individual event and what he felt were the reasons for the same.
"I thought about it and talked to my psychologist and coach to figure out what I could have done better. But, I think it is part of the tournament and I did well individually.
"I just lost out because of a few points. I don't think there is much to improve except small details which are quite technical. I will work with my coach on the same," he said with a tinge of disappointment.
He shed light on playing an important role in India's record haul of 107 medals in the 2023 Asian Games and his pride in the nation's achievement.
"In our training, we had always heard the slogan, "Iss Baar Sau Paar". It looked quite unachievable in the beginning and we started slowly off the blocks, but all the athletes were extremely motivated to win.
"For me personally and archers in particular, it is a proud moment to be part of such a historical moment. Throughout the year my goal was to win a medal at the Asian Games and I managed to do that. I am happy about that," he added with pride.
"My parents had tears in their eyes. It was a happy moment for all of us" - Prathamesh Jawkar's ambitions in archery
Prathamesh Jawkar spoke about the celebratory welcome he received when he came back to India and the pride and joy in his parents' eyes.
"The welcome was quite nice. We had a program with the Prime Minister. I was honoured to be there. After that, when I reached home, everybody was very happy to see me.
"They lit firecrackers and invited me in. And they were very emotional too. My parents had tears in their eyes. It was a happy moment for all of us," he said.
Ever since Prathamesh broke out into the top level of archery in 2022, he has steadily performed better. 2023 was an immensely successful season for him, with his win over World No. 1 Mike Schloesser by one point to win the gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai a highlight for him personally.
Prathamesh talked about his mindset before the final point.
" In the match, I was already happy about my position ahead of the final point. Being my first time at the World Cup, I was quite satisfied and was enjoying my time. Luckily, things were flowing for me. I stayed in the present moment.
"Round after round, I focused on staying grounded. My coach was telling me to take it by each round and that helped me. In the final round, I tried to be aggressive like my role model, Virat Kohli. I had made up my mind to score 10 points each with my three arrows and I did exactly that," he said.
Other than his mindset, Prathamesh also credited a change in coaching staff to his recent successes.
"We had a coach from Italy, Sergio Pagani, to come and train the Indian team. He is a former world number one. He knows the sport inside and out, and my training under him, which is a first for me, was a key reason for my success," he added.
With compound archery not a part of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Prathamesh was disappointed but shifted to focus on future events and had set goals in his mind.
"I was hoping for compound archery to be there, but it's quite heartbreaking for me. As of now, my goal is the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. There is also a big tournament called the Vegas shoot in the USA. I haven't decided what to do with my Olympic dream as it was close to my heart but these are the other big events," he said disappointedly.
Archery is not a household sport in India, and Prathamesh spoke about what could be done as a nation to increase the awareness of archery in India.
"Interviews like these help to increase awareness. I myself got introduced to archery by reading news of archers. And we, the top archers of the country, should get to work personally on the ground level to promote the sport.
"With my sponsors, I will work on promoting the sport as much as I can. I think archery should be a part of everybody's life as it is beneficial," he said.
Since early 2023, Prathamesh has been sponsored by Puma. The brand has supported many athletes from different sports, including 110 athletes across 14 sports who participated at Asian Games 2023. Puma has also launched a revolutionary Let There Be Sport movement that promotes integration of sports in the main educational curriculum.
He spoke about his partnership with Puma, how it has helped him, and the confidence he has gained from associating with a successful company.
"I was sponsored by Puma even before the Asian Games. And it really helped me win gold. Puma sponsored me with gears, which I couldn't afford earlier. They help me financially too. And, for example, when I tried the Puma sneakers, which are flat-soled, they helped me balance properly.
"They have helped me get better technically also. Most importantly, my partnership with them has increased my self-belief because I feel I am getting recognised. I should do better to promote the brand," he said.
Prathamesh Jawkar was part of a successful Indian compound archery team that won gold at the 2023 Asian Games, and will now await the 58th Vegas Shoot event in the USA where he will take part from February 1-4, 2024.
