Meet Tejal, a record-breaking archer with golden dreams

AT the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, a quiet girl from Jalna, Maharashtra had taken up a bow for the first time.

- CHANDRA PRABHU @ Chennai

The bow might have weighed at least 18 kilograms, but that didn't act as a deterrent as the then 13-year-old was drawn by the 'machinery' in the sport. Little would she have known then that she would go on to etch her name in the record books just five years later.

The girl in question is Tejal Salve, a promising compound archer from the country.

The 17-year-old talent, along with Shanmukhi Naga Sai and Tanishka Nilkumar shattered the U-21 world record in the qualification round (2101 points) of women's compound team event during the Archery Asia Cup Leg 2 in Singapore on Tuesday. The previous record was also held by Indians, which was recorded in 2023 (2076 points). Tejal & Co went on to finish with a silver medal.