Harvinder Singh’s Paralympic Success and the Impact of Mental Health

Harvinder Singh’s Journey
• Singh, India’s first armless archer, won a historic gold medal in the men’s individual recurve open category at the Paralympics in Paris.
• He had a severe illness at the age of one and a half years, which led to an adverse effect on his left leg.

Harvinder’s Family and Personal Life
• Singh’s family was happy after winning the gold medal, but he also had to focus on the summit clash.
• He missed his mother, Harbhajan Kaur, who passed away in 2018 due to a heart attack.
• Singh’s wife and son are now his caretaker, and he is mentally at peace.

Shoot-offs and Performance
• Singh faced pressure in the shoot-offs, but he managed to finish the match as soon as possible.
• He learned from the Olympics that finishing the set with a 10 is crucial.
• Singh focused on finishing the set with a 10 during practice sessions, which he achieved during the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.

Hard Work and Luck in Archery
• Singh believes that hard work and luck are interconnected, as archery is unpredictable.
• He emphasizes that archers should not lose hope until their last arrow and should believe in their hard work and luck.

Paralympic Performance and Challenges in Para Archery

• Para archer, Pooja Jatyan, won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the Hangzhou Asian Games after winning a bronze medal in Tokyo.
• He experienced inconsistency in his individual category, finishing ninth in the ranking round in Paris.
• He felt under-confident due to the gap between the ranking round and the elimination stage.
• He was not used to shooting from a podium and felt pressure in his first match against Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Lung-Hui.
• He was psychologically prepared for the podium, audience, and its reactions after every shot and took it positively.
• He had to stay focused during interviews and formalities until late night when he won gold in the individual event.
• He and his partner, Pooja Jatyan, lost the match to Slovenia in the shoot-off.
• Physical strength is key in para archery, but limitations such as heavy poundage and body balance can lead to lower scores.
• He uses meditation and visualization to manage his heartbeat and visualize his upcoming competition.
• SAI Sonipat invited Korean coach Kim Hyung Tak for video analysis software, which helped improve his performance.
• He had only one shot of 10 in his first match and had at least three 10s in every match.
• Sports science helped improve his performance post Tokyo, with minor changes to his shooting technique and instructions to his coaches.