Archer Pravin Jadhav happy to be in training mode amid lockdown

Pravin Jadhav, who claimed the Worlds medal with Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai is currently training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune during the lockdown.

Pravin Jadhav is aiming to replicate his practice scores in competitions.

Archer Pravin Jadhav feels his new-found confidence after securing the recurve men’s team silver medal in the World championships last year will help him prepare well for the Olympics.

Jadhav, who claimed the Worlds medal with experienced colleagues Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai, believes composure is the key to success. “A lot of archers shoot well in windy conditions at home but they get disturbed because of normal wind while shooting abroad. The most important factor is holding the nerve. If you take pressure, the performance gets affected,” Jadhav told Sportstar.

“My target is to replicate my practice scores in competitions. That will help me get good results.”

 

Jadhav, who was into 400m and 800m running before switching to archery seven years ago, said his athletics experience has benefited him in archery. “In a race you cannot relax at any moment. That fighting spirit, which is ingrained in me, helps me in close competitions.”

The 23-year-old army man, who last visited his home in Satara district of Maharashtra during the 2018 Diwali celebrations, is happy to be training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune during the lockdown.

“I am lucky to be spending time with three established archers – Rai, Viswash and Sukhchain Singh – during the lockdown. Even though we are maintaining social distance and training with shorter targets (about 10m-15m), it’s good to be in training mode.

“Right now, I am shooting around 300 arrows per day. I need to shoot between 500 and 600 arrows per day to get back my rhythm. I can achieve that in about two weeks,” said Jadhav.