Mumbai: 19-year-old Kirti Sharma is still reeling from her incredible achievement of topping the women's recurve trials for the Asian Games and World Cup Stages 3&4. The Haryana native has gone past experienced archers Ankita Bhakat, Paris Olympian, and four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari in the trials.
Kirti, who has competed in just three international events before, is set to feature in her career's three biggest tournaments this year, including the Asian Games. She believes that her 'pressure-free' attitude will be an advantage for her in the high-stake stages.
The young archer credits her father, a farmer, for encouraging her to take up the sport despite their limited means. She shifted to the SAI centre in Jharkhand with coach Udham Singh, which marked a turning point in her career. Kirti won gold at the junior nationals, bronze at the National Games, and a few university level medals.
With her confidence boosted by her performance in the trials, Kirti aims to improve her self-belief to compete with world-class archers at the World Cup and Asian Games.
