A difficult sport to master, most archers go through a tough time in the initial years as they come to terms with the rigours of the sport. Pravin kept at it and despite being weaker physically, he soldered on through pain and a flurry of bad results during the learning curve.
After the first year, disappointed about the results, the academy was all set to drop him before it was decided he would have one last go in a trial. The high-pressure situation tested the young man’s nerve and he responded with an emphatic performance.
From then on in, Pravin grabbed his second chance with both hands and in 2016 at the age of 19, representing India for the first time at the Asia Cup Stage 1. His first go saw him finish with a bronze medal. Later that year, he was part of Indian B team in the 2016 Archery World Cup stage in Medellín.
Once out of the academy, Pravin was able to buy his archery equipment from the government grant for participating athletes in the World Cup.
The year after, he…