Sohit, son of a vegetable vendor, breaks national archery record at just 11 | More sports News

Representational picture (Photo Source: World Archery)

BHOPAL: Sohit Kumar is just 11, however he already has a national archery record to his identify. Competing in opposition to athletes older than him, the Jabalpur boy shot an distinctive 710 out of 720 factors at the Under-15 National Archery Championship in Guntur on Wednesday to clinch gold and etch his identify into the historical past books.
Back house in Jabalpur, his father — who makes use of crutches and sells greens from a pushcart — was overcome with pleasure. “No one in the family was ever a sportsman. This is God’s blessing and my boy’s hard work,” he mentioned.
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Sohit, a compound archer, is jubilant and already has his sights set on the 2028 LA Olympics, the place the ‘compound’ class might be launched. “Soon, there will be trials for the International Youth Championship, and I want to perform well and represent the country,” he advised TOI.
A Class 7 scholar, he trains at the MP Archery Academy in Jabalpur. At just 10, Sohit even competed for Madhya Pradesh within the Senior National Championship in Jamshedpur final yr. Though he couldn’t win a medal, the keen-eyed boy amongst males was rapidly observed.
He went on to win gold, silver, and bronze medals at the SGFI School National Games in Gujarat in 2024, and a gold at the Open National Archery Tournament in Uttarakhand the identical yr.
Sohit’s household, initially from Aligarh, moved to Jabalpur 15 years in the past. His father was earlier a farm employee for Rinku Chaudhary, a military physiotherapist. When Rinku relocated, the household moved too.
After shedding a leg in a highway accident 15 years in the past, Sohit’s father continued to supply for the household, promoting greens on a pushcart whereas on crutches. Sohit has inherited the identical grit and resilience.
Rinku noticed Sohit’s potential early and launched him to teach Ricchpal Singh at the archery academy. Although the academy usually accepts college students aged 12–16, Ricchpal was so struck by Sohit’s uncooked expertise that he made an exception.
“I felt if he wasn’t given a chance now, his talent would go to waste. That’s why I gave him admission — and he proved himself,” mentioned Ricchpal. “Scoring 710 out of 720 in the 40-metre event has never been achieved in this age category,” he added