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Pune girl part of team that won Bronze at World Archery Youth Championship
Indian archer Sharvari Shende, 16, won U18 women's recurve gold at the 2025 World Youth Championships, defeating South Korea's Kim Yewon 6-5.
India’s 16-year-old archer Sharvari Shende won the U18 women’s individual recurve gold medal at the 2025 World Youth Archery Championships on Sunday.
Shende defeated South Korea’s Kim Yewon in a close final that ended 6-5. She started strong, winning two of the first three sets and drawing one, to lead 4-1. But Kim made a comeback, winning the next two sets to tie the match.
The contest was then decided by a shoot-off. Kim scored nine, while Shende held her nerve and shot a perfect 10 to claim the title.
With this victory, Shende became the second Indian woman to win gold at this tournament.
Sharvari Shende from Pune and Gatha Khadke from Solapur, along with Jiyana Kumar from Chandigarh had earlier won bronze medal at the ongoing World Archery Youth Championship, Canada, on August 22. The trio, competing in the under-18 recurve team event, registered a resounding 6:0 victory against the United States to secure the bronze medal. This is being hailed as a landmark achievement not only for India but also for Maharashtra.
India qualified for the World Archery Youth Championship in fourth place. In the pre-quarterfinals, the Indian team made a strong start defeating Mexico 6:0 in straight sets. The team’s winning run continued in the quarterfinals in which they beat the Japanese team 5:3 to storm into the semifinals. India faced mighty South Korea in the semifinals with the match stretching to the fourth set and ending closely, with South Korea edging out India 6:2. Despite the setback, the Indian trio bounced back in style in the clash for the bronze medal. The girls dominated the United States from start to finish, not allowing their rivals any chance of recovery. With scores of 55:53, 59:56 and 55:52, they sealed the match 6:0 to claim the bronze medal for India. The World Archery Youth Championship, a biennial event since 1991, is a premier global stage for budding talent. The 2025 edition drew 570 young archers from 63 countries, making India’s medal achievement all the more significant.
Shende told Hindustan Times, “I am studying in GG International School, Pune. I started my journey in archery in 2017 when I was in class 3. Now I am in class 11. I began in school, initially just as a hobby but slowly developed interest in the game. I used to practise two to three hours every day. I started winning medals at the state and national level which motivated me to move to full-day practice. Both my parents are doctors, but they told me to do whatever I like. They never forced me to take up medicine.”
Whereas Khadke said, “I am from Tembhurni, Solapur district. Someone had just started teaching archery in our village and that person told my father that I should try it as it helps build concentration. I am in class 10 now but I started archery when I was in class 2. I used to practise seven to eight hours every day. My coach, despite being an OSD, used to travel from Mumbai to Pune to train me.” Khadke credited her coach Ranjit Chamale for his continuous guidance and encouragement. Chamale trained the bronze medal-winning Indian team and stood by them through the ups and downs of the competition.
Khadke said, “After this match, I will be going for the World Championship on September 2. Before reaching here (Canada), Air Canada was on strike and our flights were cancelled. But I did not worry because I trusted the Archery Association of India and Sports Authority of India (SAI). I knew they would do something to ensure we reached Canada. I want to thank them.”
About Khadke, Chamale said, “She is very young and disciplined. I always had confidence in her because she is very serious about her work. She follows everything I instruct. We had perfect planning. I used to tell her how much time I could give, and she followed it strictly. That is why we have got success today and I am really proud of her.”
“Earlier, the majority of participants in archery were senior players. But now, this is a new, golden era for Maharashtra. In future, you will see many young faces like Shende coming up. The association is doing a lot of good work, and most of the positive response is coming from Maharashtra in terms of young archers. The state government’s new initiative ‘Laksh Vedh’ is very important. Earlier we did not have facilities, so our children had to go to Sonipat. But due to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s intervention, a high-performance centre will be started in Pune. The government is very positive and we are very active in sports now,” Chamale said.
Maha ministers to the rescue
The journey of the Indian team to Canada was no less dramatic than the tournament itself. Shende recalled, “Our flight was scheduled to depart on August 15 but due to the strike by Air Canada staff, we were stranded at the airport for four days. The Archery Association of India and SAI made multiple efforts but our travel plans remained uncertain. At this crucial moment, president of the Archery Association of India Virendra Sachdeva; union minister from Maharashtra Raksha Khadke; and minister Murlidhar Mohol intervened and ensured that we flew to Canada in time for the tournament. Coach Chamale however, could only reach Canada on the morning of the competition at 4.30 am, just hours before the matches began. Despite these challenges, the Indian girls delivered a stunning performance, which has now drawn praise from the sports ministry and SAI alike.
