Paralympics Archery Gold In Bag, Harvinder Singh Sets Sights On Next Challenges Including Completing PhD

Having successfully changed the colour of his medal from bronze at Tokyo Paralympics to gold at Paris, India's star para archer Harvinder Singh's next target is to continue his successful run and complete his PhD. The first Indian para archer to have won a Paralympics medal at Tokyo, Harvinder rewrote history when he bagged the country's maiden gold in the men's recurve event at Paris on Thursday. "The preparations were going well in India at SAI Sonipat where I had both my coaches and that helped a lot. We came to France 15 days before (the event) and I was shooting well," he told the media on Friday while discussing his preparations for the Paralympics.

"I was working on a few technical aspects. I wanted to go to Korea about 3-4 months ago but the coach was called here at SAI Sonipat," said Harvinder, who has a disability in his legs following a medical mishap when he was one-and-a-half years old.

A local doctor administered him an injection which left him unable to move his legs properly after he had contracted dengue.

The first Indian to win a Paralympics medal in archery at Tokyo, Harvinder said he felt what the pressure of expectations means while he was preparing for Paris.

"The way the others would wish 'best of luck', it would be in a way that would convey to me that I now needed to change the colour (of the medal). It tells you the kind of exceptions that are there," he said.

Harvinder, who was drawn into para archery after the 2012 Olympics, said he aims to finish his PhD which had to be put on the hold as his career took off in sports.

"I was active in studies until 2018. From 2012, I would study in the morning and practice in the evening and there would be days when I would have two sessions," he said.

"I