Chandigarh, June 12 (FN Agency) Haryana archer Riddhi is used to being at the top and has managed to win gold medal at the Khelo India Youth Games due to her regular practice and hard work. This young and vibrant girl from Haryana spends most of her time on the terrace of her house in Karnal where she practices her game while fulfilling the goals set by her father Manoj Kumar. In the Khelo India Youth Games, in the category of girls’ archery recurve bow, Riddhi has made it to the top with another win. Riddhi dedicated the gold medal to her father, saying that “I attribute my success to my father.”
She was strong in academics and later developed interest in archery when her father brought the sport home, set up facilities on the terrace and provided her with bows and arrows which are used in competitions. Her father Manoj Kumar did not know much about archery, but was interested in it. He worked hard to groom Riddhi as there was no coach in and around Karnal. Riddhi made her debut in Khelo India in 2018 but failed to make it to the semi-finals. In 2019, she lost to Amanpreet Kaur in the 2019 bronze medal play-off. She won a bronze medal in 2020. There has been no looking back since then and the world 47 ranker Riddhi finally won the gold in KIYG-2021, further pushing Haryana’s position in the medal tally as the hosts were keen to regain their position at the top.
This national junior silver medalist is among the band of recurve archers in the development group of Olympic podium scheme since June 11, 2018. Hardworking Riddhi has the motivation, appetite and talent to succeed. She has already won 10 international medals, including being part of the team that won the World Cup Stage 1 gold this year. Riddhi’s first major medal came in the 2012 U-14 Nationals in Vijayawada. Riddhi won women’s recurve and mixed recurve team bronze medals in Asia Cup Stage 2 in Manila in her first international competition at the age of 14 in 2018. Riddhi elaborated that the sports policies of the present Haryana government are very good due to which she kept on improving her game and today won gold medal at Khelo India Youth Games-2021.