The medal tally from the recently concluded 38th Sub-National Junior Shooting Championships held in Amravati district, Maharashtra makes for interesting reading. The results show that shooters from Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are taking the lead. States like Jharkhand, Assam and Uttar Pradesh came second in this year’s age group competition.
Sanjeeva Kumar Singh, Director of High Performance, Archery Association of India, spoke on the matter, saying:
“It is a healthy sign of archery expanding to other states in India. Previously, it was confined to one or two districts of India. Jharkhand was primarily the main center for archery in India. The trend is changing. Archers from Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan were among the medal winners at the Semi Junior National Championships held recently in Maharashtra.
Countries like Haryana, Maharashtra and Punjab are challenging Jharkhand’s dominance in sports.
According to the AAI Director of High Performance, clusters of shooting training centers have sprung up in northern India, particularly in Haryana and Punjab. Rajasthan has also become a new breeding ground for archery.
Patiala in Punjab is the main shooting center. Pune, Amravati and Ahmednagar are among the major archery centers in Maharashtra, according to a national trainer.
While speaking to Sportskeeda, he said:
“Training centers in states like Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are fertile ground for shooting in India these days. As training centers are also popping up in other states, the dominance of the state like Jharkhand is diminishing.”
At the Amravati Junior National Championships held in early November, Maharashtra State dominated the pool events. In the recurring event, an Olympic discipline, athletes from North India were among the medal winners. .
Composite archer Parth Sunil Kord from Maharashtra achieved four gold medals, including a mixed team at the 38th Junior National Championships.
In the past, the Jharkhand shooters and the Pune Army Sports Institute (ASI) dominated the juniors. However, the equation has now changed.
Sanjiva, winner of the Dronacharya Award, said:
“Except for 19-year-old Komalika Bari from Jharkhand, other shooters from that state face tough challenges from their competitors. Countries like Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are catching up.”
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