Anita upstages Jakarta medallist
PUNE: Clinching gold is always special. But for Jharkhand’s Anita Kumari, who registered the biggest upset on the final day of Khelo India Youth Games by edging out Madhya Pradesh’s Muskan Kirar 145-144 to top the girls’ U-21 compound archery, it means much more.
“It not just feels good, it feels special,” said the 18-year-old moments after beating Asian Games team silver medallist Muskan in a thriller.
“There was a time when I couldn’t afford basic equipment. Neither could I persuade my father because I knew the economic condition of my family. There were many times when I would be out on tours and my father couldn’t send money. ‘Sorry, I can’t afford it right now. I’ll get one for you later’, was a phrase that I have heard so many times. But I knew my father was giving it his all to support me.”
MONETARY STRUGGLE
Anita’s family falls in the BPL (below poverty line) category and with her father, a security guard who does temporary jobs from time to time, being the only earning member in the family, pursuing archery was a distant dream. But it all turned around in 2012 when Birsa Munda Academy coach Prakash Ram spotted her at the Kasturba Gandhi School.
“For nearly four years I had no equipment. Since I stayed at the hostel, I used to use their equipment. It was only in 2017 when I could afford my own equipment using prize money that I won at several tournaments,” Anita said.
She was perhaps a bit lucky given Muskan was down with shoulder muscle spasms but still managed to put up a fight but that doesn’t take away anything Anita who showed grit and held her nerves.
“People in Silli (her hometown, 62 km east of Ranchi) now know me. They know my family. Even a few people in Ranchi know us. Whatever I am today isn’t just because I’ve performed well. Since we couldn’t afford taking loans from banks, I know my father often had to borrow money from relatives and neighbours to keep us going,” Anita recalled adding that her hardships always drive her to go the distance.
Since compound archery isn’t part of the Olympics yet, Anita is targeting an Asian Games gold. According to her academy coach Ram, his ward, who graduated from Indian Round to compound in 2016, has already shown massive improvement.
“She struck 351/360 in the ranking round, which is usually a medal-winning score at the national level. But I try and push her to touch 355 consistently,” he said.