While many watched series like Ramayana and Mahabharata and films like Bahubali for mere entertainment, Aanya Verma, an eight-year-old took it as inspiration to step into the world of sports – archery. For Verma, archery isn’t just a sport, but an ambition rooted in passion from the early age of five when the characters of Rama and Arjuna fascinated her. “It was actually my father’s dream to pursue archery but due to responsibilities, he couldn’t continue. But when I watched Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bahubali, it deeply inspired me and gave me the push to start learning archery myself,” shares Verma, who now has gold and silver medals [in the Recurve Ranking Round and Recurve Elimination Round, respectively] from the U10 National Archery Championship recently held in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, under her belt. Reflecting on her recent achievement she confidently says, “I’m very happy with my performance. My parents and teachers were extremely proud and happy too, and that means a lot to me. I’m more motivated now.”
Her journey was not easy with her days mostly occupied with studies and disciplined practice sessions. “I start my day early with exercises that support my archery training. Then, I go to school. During the weekends I practise archery,” she explains. Beginning with competing in and acing qualifying games, she earned her position in the national competition with a national level record. “I first participated in the trials [held at Sree Kanteerava Stadium], where I scored 326 out of 360. Based on my performance, I was selected to represent Karnataka at the national level,” she confides.
Amidst the challenges of balancing studies and training, Verma credits her family for the support. “My biggest support system is my parents – they always encourage and motivate me. I’m also incredibly grateful to my coaches Subhas M and Rajesh, who guide me through every step of my training,” Verma shares, adding, “Thanks to their support, I never have to worry about anything outside of focusing on my practice.”
Verma now has her sights set beyond the nationals to the 2032 Olympics. She has taken it up as her long-term goal and challenge. “My ambition is to become an Olympic medalist in archery. India has yet to win an Olympic medal in this sport, and that motivates me even more to take on the challenge. I’m practising every single day with full dedication, and I’m preparing with a long-term goal in mind – for the 2032 or 2036 Olympic Games,” she says.