Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.): India’s emerging compound archer Sahil Jadhav is currently preparing for the 2026 Asian Games. Training at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Kolkata, Sahil revealed that former Australian cricketer Shane Watson’s book *The Winner’s Mindset* has inspired him to perform better under pressure and develop greater mental resilience.

Speaking to SAI Media, Sahil said, “Around a month ago, I started reading Shane Watson’s book *The Winner’s Mindset*. Initially, my aim was to spend less time on my mobile phone, but the book taught me a lot about handling pressure during competitions and staying completely focused.”

The 25-year-old archer’s journey has not been easy. He started archery at the age of 19 and had to wait seven long years before winning his first national-level medal. During this challenging phase, the support of his family became his biggest source of strength.

“I started archery at the age of 19, but my family always stood by me. To be honest, they made more sacrifices than I did. After seven years, I won my first national-level medal. Every year, I used to miss out by very small margins. It was the biggest test of my patience and perseverance,” Sahil said.

Sahil’s hard work paid off in 2024 when he won the gold medal at the Senior National Archery Championships. He followed it up with an individual gold medal and a team silver medal at the 2025 World University Games. This year, he achieved the biggest milestone of his career by winning a bronze medal in the men’s compound individual event at the second stage of the Archery World Cup 2026 held in Shanghai, China.

“When I was standing on the medal podium, I was remembering my parents, their sacrifices, and the struggles of the past few years,” he said.

Speaking about the Asian Games, Sahil expressed confidence but emphasised that Indian archers need to avoid minor mistakes under pressure.

“The selection trials for the Indian team are considered among the toughest in the world. If we make it into the Indian team, it means we have the ability to defeat the best players in the world. However, many times our archers make small mistakes under pressure or miss out by one or two points. We have lost bronze medals in three World Cups because of such situations. We need to overcome this weakness. If we give our 100 per cent, there will be no problem,” he said.

Sahil has been training at SAI’s National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata for the last three to four years. Appreciating the facilities provided by SAI, he said, “The training environment here is excellent. SAI takes care of our training, accommodation, food, equipment, and all other requirements. The success I have achieved at the international level has been possible largely because of SAI’s support.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar