Not encouraged to don Army fatigues, Prarthana shifts focus to archery
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 26
Prarthana Solanki is a farmer’s daughter who harboured dreams of joining the Indian Army. But when her family didn’t seem too enthused with the idea, she took up archery and was quick to win the gold medal at the All-India University Games last year.
On Wednesday, she took another big step in her journey towards success, finishing with a silver medal after a closely contested women’s recurve final at the Khelo India University Games,
“I could not serve the country by joining the Army. But now I want to make India proud by taking part in the Olympics and eventually winning a medal,” said Prarthana.
The Panjab University girl must be taken seriously. In just one year, she has improved enough to be among the country’s top archers in her age category.
Barely 21, she put up a grand fight in the women’s recurve individual event, easing her way into the finals. Up against much-fancied Priyanka Thakran from Maharshi Dayanand University, she came up with a calm and commanding performance to take the contest into a one-arrow tie-breaker.
Prarthana faltered only at that stage, to miss the gold by the proverbial whisker. “I played well in the finals too, matching my opponent in each of the sets. I took it till the tie-breaker which didn’t go my way,” said a slightly disappointed Prarthna.
She was quick to appreciate the support that she received from her family though, helping her carve out a successful career in archery. “My father is a farmer and my mother a homemaker. They have provided me all the equipment that I needed, whatever it took him. He has given me everything to move forward in my sport, pumping in all his hard-earned money. My parents have never let me face any difficulty and have always supported me in whatever I do,” revealed Prathana.
With a Khelo India medal under her belt, she will now shift her focus to the senior Nationals, her first shot at a national-level tournament. “I started learning archery just last year. I won gold at the inter-university competition last year in Bhubaneswar. Now, my focus is on winning a medal at the senior Nationals this year. And then look beyond, at the Olympics,” the PU athlete added.
