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Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

Cherishing moments A bronze medal in archery at the Doha Asian Games brought him wide recognition

Mangal Singh Champia, who made Vijayawada his second home, has become the toast of the Indian archery fraternity after he qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics against all odds. He is one of the three Asian archers selected for the individual recurve segment. The other two include a Filipino and a Malaysian.

Though born in a remote village – Ichakuti in Jharkhand, Mangal shifted to Vijayawada in 1999 and enrolled himself in the Volga Archery Academy run by Cherukuri Satyanarayana. Blessed with natural instincts, the boy gradually began to showcase his marksmanship in State, National and internationals tournaments.

“Vijayawada will always be close to my heart for it is here I got all the support to hone my archery skills. I feel it is my responsibility to bring pride to this city by winning the coveted medal in the Beijing Olympics,” says Mangal with a sense of gratitude.

Though at the moment, he is pursuing a graduation course in KVK Sanskrit College in Guntur, he will leave for Bangalore in November to practice at the Lakshmi Mittal Archery Academy under the watchful eyes of Indian coach S.C. Roy.

“The task is a daunting one as some of the best archers from Korea, China, U.S.A., Italy, Australia and Japan will vie for top honours. I don’t feel the need to change by technique but I will have to master the wind conditions to garner more points, as the release of the arrows depend on the player’s control over the wind,” he explains.

The 25-year-old son of a farmer spends an hour daily to keep him fit and plunges into a marathon eight-hour-long shooting session in mornings and evenings. “I spend a considerable amount of time in yoga and breathing exercises,” he says.

Mangal was part of the Indian archery team at Bangkok Asian Games in 1998 and has taken part in several Asian, Commonwealth and World meets. “We fared badly at the world championship held at Greece early 2007. But at the Asian championship held at Xian (China) in September, I was able to defeat Amano Ryato of Japan to qualify for Olympics,” he points out. The Jharkhand marksman will be remembered forever by archery buffs for inspiring a good number of youngsters to take up the traditional sport with determination.

“Krishna District has produced three international archers – Mangal, Lenin and Rishitha, and more than 10 National archers. It is a rare achievement,” says Cherukuri Satyanarayana, who is providing help for Mangal’s stay in Vijayawada.

Mangal is not bogged down by the lacklustre media coverage. He is keener on getting back to the stadium with his bow and quiver full of arrows and slam the bull’s eye. His ultimate aim in life is to win a medal in the Olympics. He knows that it is within his reach and he also knows that a medal in Beijing Olympics will change not just his own life but also the face of archery in the country.

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