NAGOYA: Some two years ago, Sahil Jadhav wanted to walk away from archery. His career, he thought, was going nowhere. He was already living on borrowed time: mother's jewellery had already been sold to ensure he would get the required paraphernalia to keep the flame burning.
That flame was about to be extinguished when he was forced to compete with borrowed arrows at a selection trial to make the Indian team. Over the last two years, though, Sahil has only known big wins.
The apogee of his career came on Wednesday. Twice inside the first half of the day at the archery ranges, Sahil occupied the top step of the podium — as part of the mixed team and the men's side.
The compound archer, whose gold in the mixed team event also gave India a quota at LA2028, said he faced no pressure in the final. In fact, his last shot was a 10. A product of the famed Archery Academy in Satara, Maharashtra, he shifted to the National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata two years ago. Despite their meagre savings, the parents and the coach, Pravin Sawant, kept him in good spirits.
The breakthrough came at the World University Games in 2025 where he came within a whisker of scoring 150 (ended up with 149). Soon, he became the country's top compound archer. Securing the Olympic quota for India was a bonus. “The feeling is great and the result of a lot of hard work,” said Sahil.
Hard work, determination and no less grit took him from the verge of retirement to the top step of the podium. Next stop? It could well be Los Angeles.
