Rakesh Kumar (Archer)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rakesh Kumar

• In 2009, Rakesh met with a car accident due to which his spinal cord was injured. It took him 4 years to recover from the accident but his legs stopped working due to which he became wheelchair bound.

• Due to depression, Rakesh attempted suicide thrice but every time, he was saved by his friends and family.

• Rakesh used to run a mobile recharge shop in Katra to support his family.

• Rakesh’s archery journey started in 2017 when he met his coach at a local archery camp who advised him to become an archer. In an interview, Rakesh said,
  

  The coach felt that I had strong arms and insisted I should try archery and continue if I like it.”

  

• In 2018, Rakesh was a member of the team which won the gold medal at the European Circuit 2nd leg in the team competition.

• Initially, Rakesh was supported by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board which provided him with equipment and coaching, and later, the Archery Association of India, the Paralympic Committee of India, and the Sports Authority of India also supported him.

  

• In the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Rakesh came 6th in both the Individual Compound Open event and the Team Compound Open event.

• Rakesh was appointed assistant coach by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in 2023.

• In the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Rakesh missed out on the bronze medal by just finishing one point behind China’s He Zihao in the Para Archery Individual Compound Open Bronze Medal match.