Harvinder Singh (Archer)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Harvinder Singh

• Harvinder Singh is an Indian Para archer who became the first Indian to win a medal in archery at Paralympics when he won a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

• He grew up in a middle-class farming family in a small village Guhla Cheeka near Kaithal in Haryana, where he did his primary schooling.

• At the age of just one, his legs stopped working properly when a doctor administered him an injection after he suffered from dengue; the injection had an adverse effect.

• After studying at a village school up to the 10th standard, he went to Kaithal city to pursue his further studies.

• Harvinder was inspired to pursue archery after he saw archery events at the 2012 London Olympics. Soon, he started attending training sessions on the ground while he was pursuing his graduation at Punjabi University in Patiala.

• He continued his archery practice for five years during which he participated and won medals at various state and national-level tournaments.

• In 2017, he got the opportunity to represent India for the first time at an international event when he participated in the 2017 World Archery Para Championships, held in Beijing, in which he was placed at the 7th position.

• In 2018, Harvinder Singh won a gold in the Men’s Individual Recurve Open event at the 2018 Asian Para Games, becoming the first athlete from India to win a gold medal at a major para competition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate him on his achievement.

• In 2019, he qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics after he participated in the 2019 World Archery Para Championships, held in the Netherlands.

• On 3 September 2021, Harvinder notched up India’s first-ever archery medal in the Paralympics. In the semifinals, in an intense five-setter (25-28, 24-24, 25-25, 25-24, 24-26), he lost to world number 10 Kevin Mather of the USA 6-4.

• In the 2024 Paralympics, Singh scored 9, 10, and 9 in the finals of the Men’s Individual Recurve Open event.