Archery is more than just sport- Paralympic medalist Harvinder Singh shares his insights

Archery gives me confidence wherever I go, says Paralympic champion Harvinder Singh.

Harvinder Singh, the first Indian to win an archery medal in the Tokyo Paralympics, then went on to become the Paralympic Champion in the men’s recurve at the Paris Paralympics.

Continuing his strong form, Harvinder has qualified for the world championships after his impressive performance at the Para Archery trials, held in New Delhi from July 15 to 16, 2025.

Harvinder shot 610 and 660 in the two ranking rounds and topped the trials. He performed well in the elimination round, with an average score of 9.15. After winning the Paralympics and Asian Championship titles, Harvinder will be eyeing a medal at the World Championships.

In an interview, Harvinder Singh shared that he will give his best and look forward to winning the medal in the world championships. Here are some of the excerpts from the interview.

Harvinder Singh’s insights-

You are the current Paralympic Champion. So will it add any pressure at the upcoming World Championships? How will you deal with that pressure?

Yes, of course, because being the current Olympic champion, there will be pressure, and all eyes will be on you, especially with the media.

You have to give interviews, and then they write about you, so there is a performance pressure, but I try to understand how to give my best under pressure. This time, I have to do some preparation to handle the pressure and give my best.

Are there any plans to participate in any able-bodied tournaments?

Yes, ever since I have been doing archery, I have planned to perform well, give my best, and also make it to the Able Body. Still, the situations are such that sometimes, when we have the off-season, their tournaments happen.

Then, in between, there is an issue of qualifying score, but now, like 650 is the qualifying score there, and this time I have shot that in the Trials, so there won’t be much of an issue of qualification. Yes, but if my practice is good and there is no competition, then I will try.

Whenever you don’t perform well in any competition and lose in early rounds, how do you motivate yourself to do well in the next tournament?

Yes, whenever we are unable to perform well, we lose, and we motivate ourselves by remembering those moments. When you performed well, what was your state of mind at that time? How was your shooting? How was your psychology?

The second thing is that you cannot win every competition. But it is also true that you won’t lose every competition. Winning and losing are a part of the game, and we always learn from that.

Has there been any change in your life and surroundings since becoming a Paralympic champion?

Yes, change happens in life, but I was a bronze medalist in the Paralympics even before this, and that was also the first time.

But the difference is that now people introduce you to anyone as a gold medalist or introduce you as a Paralympic champion, and there is a different kind of confidence when you’re competing, knowing you’re the champion of the biggest event.

You haven’t won the world championships yet, and now that you have won both the Olympics and Asian Championships, what’s your plan for the upcoming world championships?

Yes, I don’t have a World Championship medal so far. In 2019, we lost the bronze medal match in the team event, so my effort will be to perform well and win a medal. Even if I am not able to win, I will work harder, and if the shooting is good there and everything goes well, then this will be another medal in my medal tally.

How do you handle pressure in tense situations?

There is pressure in tough situations, especially when you are playing a bronze medal match or a tie shot. But, you have to trust yourself, your shooting, and give your best shot. In archery, as we can say, you have to give a tight shot.

Therefore, concentrate only on these things, and no thoughts about victory or defeat or anything else should come to your mind. You should focus and leave everything else. To let things happen on their own, you have to give it a shot. Then it depends on where it will hit.

What advice will you give to the youngsters who are pursuing archery?

My advice to the youngsters is that if you are doing archery, then you should keep working hard, and it takes time. I guess I would say three to four years.

It took me five years to participate in my first international competition. If you’re genuinely interested and you work hard, you can make it. You will succeed, but you have to be dedicated and focused.

Can you tell us about your training routine?

During summer in the morning, you have to go early and shoot. I shoot for one and a half hours, have breakfast for half an hour, and shoot again.

In the evening, I do the same thing too, and one such session lasts about three and a half hours. In winter, after breakfast, I shoot for three hours in the afternoon and the evening.

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