Family struggles motivate compound ace Rajat Chauhan
India archer Rajat Chauhan.
Every time Rajat Chauhan comes back with an international medal, he can’t help but think about the time when his father had to sell his car to buy him a bow. The year was 2011 and the teenager Chauhan was getting ready for the Bangkok Asian Grand Prix, his first international event. Days before the event the 17-year-old broke his bow and buying one at short notice was proving well nigh impossible for the Chauhan household.
But desperate times call for desperate measures. Rajat’s father Tarachand Chauhan sold his Tata Indigo car to finance his son’s archery kit. A young Rajat returned the favour by bagging gold in Bangkok.
“Those were tough times. Archery is an expensive sport, but my parents saw to it that I do well… and on one occasion my father had to even sell his car to buy my archery kit,” Rajat recalls. “I attribute my success to the sacrifices made by my parents. Without their support I could not have managed to become an archer,” adds the 21-year-old, who, only last week, won India its first-ever individual medal at the World Archery Championship in Copenhagen — a silver. This after he and his teammates bagged the compound archery gold at the Asian Games in Incheon last year.
Despite his consistency at the international circuit, Rajat admits he is a nervous wreck each time he represents India on foreign shores. Perhaps, it is this aspect that cost him the gold in Copenhagen. The compound marksman had made his way to the finals on the back of some stirring performances. However, he went down to home favourite Stephan Hansen in the final.
“I was a little overawed by the situation,” he says when asked about the final. “I had never seen this sort of crowd support at any international event. They were boisterous and were egging on Hansen. Despite constant support from my teammates and coaches, I was feeling tensed and lonely,” he explains.
Rajat was going neck and neck till the third set when he shot a poor 8 and 9, which helped Hansen gain a crucial three-point lead before he wrapped up the game 147-143.
Being a compound archer seems to have its inherent disadvantages. No matter how well you perform at international events, you are not guaranteed an Olympic spot as compound archery is not an Olympic event. Does this act as a deterrent?
“No, it doesn’t,” says Rajat. “I always knew that compound archery is not an Olympic sport, so I’m okay with it. Right now my only aim is to represent my country at international events and win medals. not qualifying for Rio is definitely not a deterrent for me in my progress as a compound archer.” And going forward, Rajat has no plans of shifting to recurve either.
But archery was not something Rajat had in mind growing up. He was more keen on taekwondo and other martial arts and it was at the insistence of his cousin that Rajat took to archery.
In 2008, Rajat got selected for trials at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur, and under the tutelage of his coach Kamlesh Sharma, the 16-year-old honed his skills to become the champion he is today.
In three days, Rajat embarks on yet another foreign sojourn — Poland — to participate in the Archery World Cup.
The constant travelling has made him home-sick and yearn for home-cooked meal, but the 21-year-old takes it all in his stride. “I leave for Poland on August 8, which leaves me with no time to be with my parents in Jaipur… I miss home food, but I guess this is all part of being a sportsman,” he adds.
