Akash Malik became India’s first silver medallist in archery at the Youth Olympic Games, providing a fitting finale to the country’s best-ever campaign at the marquee event in Buenos Aires.
The 15-year-old son of a farmer, who trains at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, went down to USA’s Trenton Cowles 0-6 in the men’s recurve final as India finished with three gold, nine silver, and one bronze at the event that was launched in 2010.
Akash took up archery six years ago after Manjeet Malik, a physical-trainer-turned-archery-coach, picked him during a trial.
“One day my friends took me to a field where I saw kids aiming at a target with arrows. Mujhe laga woh shikaar kar rahe hain (I thought they were hunting something),” Akash told PTI.
Akash, who used to play cricket with his friends, developed a fascination for the ‘new-found sport’.
“Mujhe laga mein kuchh kar sakta hoon (I thought I could do something),” he said.
In 2014, Akash was part of the recurve boys team which won a gold medal at the mini national (under-14) archery championship in Vijayawada.
Akash went on to clinch a gold medal in the Youth Olympics qualifying event last year.
He also won a gold medal at Asia Cup Stage-I, two bronze in Asia Cup Stage-II and a silver and a bronze in the South Asian championship, in the last one year.
Akash’s father Narender Malik, who is into wheat and cotton farming, never wanted his son to join him at the fields.
“Initially my parents dissuaded me as they wanted me to study to land up a government job. But after I started winning medals they have started backing me fully. They must be very happy now,” Akash, who will return to India with the contingent on Sunday, said.
“Now I’ve to put in more effort and hope to qualify for Tokyo Olympics,” he said about his mission 2020.
About his final, which turned out to be one-sided, he said, “I have trained in the wind, but here it was too much. I was waiting for an opportunity but he [Cowles] was stronger and I had no chance,” he said. “I feel good but I lost the gold medal,” the 11th standard student said after bettering Atul Verma’s feat of a bronze at the Nanjing edition of the Games in 2014.
His coach Manjeet said Akash’s ability to remain calm had impressed him.
“He was very calm and composed and I thought he could shoot arrows steadily. He now shoots with confidence. It was raining as well when the final started,” the coach said.
“It’s indeed a proud moment for me and all the hard work is now paying off,” Malik, who has about 80 students at his private academy, said.
Akash is currently enrolled by the Olympic Gold Quest and trains under South Korean coach Kim Hagyong at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
Earlier, Akash finished in the last eight of the mixed international team event partnering Turkey’s Selin Satir. The duo lost in the quarter-finals to Thailand’s Aitthiwat Soithong and Argentina’s Agustina Sofia Giannasio.
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