Archer Tanishka wins two gold medals in SGFI nationals

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 2

City’s ace archer Tanishka Sareen has once again made the city proud by bagging a rick haul of medals in the recently concluded 65th School National Games Archery Tournament, at Chandauli (Uttar Pradesh).

The 13-year-old has won her first gold medal of the year by scoring 340 points in the 30m event, followed by second gold in the 20m event with a score of 338. She scored overall 678 points in total to emerge as the best archer of the U-14 group in the national championship.

A student of Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School (Sector 26) started practising archery as early as at the age of 7 years. Last year, she won the CBSE National Archery Tournament held at Dirba (Sangrur). She scored a record-breaking score in the girls’ U-14 Indian round categories in 30m, 20m and elimination round. She had scored 337 points in 30m, 347 points in 20m and an overall record-breaking score of 684 points in the ranking round. She was the only archer to win gold medals in all the U-14, U-17 and U-19 categories with a highest overall individual score of 684 points.

“I started participating in various championships at the age of 8 years. I won my first national gold in the 9th Cherukuri Lenin Volga Memorial National Archery Championship in Andhra Pradesh. I still remember being awarded the gold medal. It was an amazing feeling,” said Tanishka.

Tanishka took inspiration from her father who is a former bodybuilder.

“I was introduced to different sport. It was my interest to take up archery. My father has always boosted me to enjoy the sport and it’s all due to his composed support that I am trying to make fame in archery,” said the archer.

Tanishka is currently training under NIS coach Kulbir Singh at the Lake Archery Club. She was earlier trained by Olympian Sumangala Sharma. As she turns 14 next year, Tanishka is concentrating more on improving her game. “For last five years I have competed in the U-14 category. I have done a fair job but the road ahead is very difficult — considering the competition in higher age groups. My next aim is to get a scholarship so that I can get more exposure and improve my ranking,” she said. “So far, my learning has moved in the right direction, but now amid a neck-and-neck competition, I have to prepare well for achieving the best. Playing for the nation is my obvious dream, but winning the gold medal in Asia and Olympics is what I am really aiming for.,” she added.