"This medal will give us confidence before Olympics" : Archery World Cup medallist Simranjeet Kaur
Aug 22, 2023
By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], August 23 : The women’s recurve archery team member Simranjeet Kaur who won the medal at the Archery World Cup 2023 stage 4 in Paris, France, on Thursday believes that this bronze medal has come at the right time and will give them confidence ahead of Paris Olympics next year.
"Our medal is a team medal and as a team, we have put in a lot of effort. We were working hard to win a medal for a long time. This was very important because next year the Olympics start and because of this medal the confidence of our team has boosted a lot and if we keep performing like this then we will do well and hopefully win medals in the Olympics," said World Cup medallist Simranjeet Kaur while speaking to ANI.
The Indian women's recurve archery team comprising Simranjeet Kaur, Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat beat Japan 6-2 and Italy 5-1 on their way to the semi-finals but like the men’s team, their charge was also halted by Chinese Taipei, who won 6-0. But by beating these teams they can get a great amount of confidence ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games starting September 23.
"This will be my first Asian Games but our seniors have played a lot of tournaments. So, we never felt that we are experiencing anything new. So, we prepare ourselves well as they share their experience really well. This helps us a lot and increases our confidence," said Simranjeet Kaur.
The legendary Milkha Singh serves as a significant source of inspiration for the young Indian archer.
"Milkha sir inspired me a lot. His story is very inspiring about how we can perform without any support and facility. That dedication comes from the heart. Your expectations and will to perform takes you to places that's why," said Simranjeet Kaur.
After winning the medal young archer Simranjeet Kaur had a message to all those striving for their dream.
"I would just say keep working and not lose hope if you want to achieve something," said Kaur.
Honourable Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur felicitated the medal-winning Recurve and Compound archers, who bagged laurels for the country from the World Championships Berlin and World Cup 2023 Stage 4 in Paris.