NEW DELHI: From securing an MBA degree, working his way up the corporate ladder to clinching gold at the 2019 Asian Para Archery Championships in Bangkok on Thursday, Vivek Chikara’s life has undergone a sea of change since 2017.
Before 2017, Vivek had no clue about the sport. He was working for Mahindra & Mahindra and posted in Saharanpur. His elder brother and sister had both gotten married and he used to regularly send money back home to help his family in Meerut. Then his life was turned upside down on New Year’s Day.
On the way back to Meerut on his bike, a truck hit his vehicle from behind. His left leg had to be amputated from below the knee. “From sending money back home, now I have to constantly ask for money from my father. I feel ashamed but I’m hopeful the sport can help me in the long run,” the 28-year-old said from Bangkok.
Vivek recorded a 7-1 win over China’s Sijun Wang to claim top honours in the men’s recurve open event. He also clinched bronze in the team recurve event. Vivek picked up archery as it was the only sport he could play. “Utilising my upper body strength was the aim and archery suited my requirements. I even quit my job as the company wanted me to work over-time while I wanted extra practice hours.”
The Asian Para Archery Championship is only his third international competition since he started training back in January 2018. He has already qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics after his joint ninth-place finish at the World Para Archery Championships. His assistant coach Udham Singh hailed the gold medallist’s spirit.
“I have never seen anybody work this hard. While most archers shoot about 100 arrows, he trains twice a day and shoots no less than 250. Head coach Satyadev Prasad has mentored him and always had faith in his abilities. He picked up the basics in double-quick time,” Udham said.
Vivek currently trains in Sonepat and wants a job so that he can start taking care of himself. “I called my father first after the victory and he congratulated me and was hopeful of a change in fortunes. I had studied hard and had done well in life before the accident. All I want is to get back to those days and at least start earning. My work ethic has brought me till here.”