Mumbai: Even though it wasn’t among her fondest memories, archer Gatha Khadake vividly remembers the exchange of words with Deepika Kumari at the National Games in Uttarakhand this February. Years junior to India’s star archer in both age and experience, Gatha had just lost to her in the semi-final after forcing a shoot-off – Deepika shot a 10 to Gatha’s 8 – at the end of a deadlocked 5-5 scoreline. It was the first time Gatha had stepped onto the field to compete against the four-time Olympian, and she walked away feeling somewhat crestfallen despite the tough tussle.
“I was a little sad, but she (Deepika) told me, ‘Don’t worry, you will be around to play a lot more,’” Gatha recalled.
A few months on, the 15-year-old has earned a spot alongside the 31-year-old Deepika in the Indian women’s recurve team for next month’s World Cup Stage 4 in Madrid and the World Championship in Gwangju in September.
Gatha was one of two teens from Maharashtra – Sharvari Shende, also 15, being the other – who caused a stir in recurve at the recently held selection trials. Surging ahead of Deepika and Ankita Bhakat in the qualification round, Gatha finished third in the elimination round behind the Paris Olympians and ahead of Sharvari (who will only feature in the World Cup). The two teens also booked tickets to the World Youth Championships during a hectic couple of weeks filled with back-to-back trials.
Gatha’s reward was a call-up for three major events – her first taste of international archery.
“I’m excited about playing my first international tournament,” Gatha said. “I worked really hard for it, and I’m happy that it came through in the trials.”
Hard work is a trait this soft-spoken youngster has developed over time, encouraged by the support and sacrifice of her family – especially her mother, Dipali, who, like her father Anandrao, is an eye surgeon.
Growing up in Tembhurni, a village in Solapur district, Gatha was fascinated by space science. When she wasn’t reading about shooting stars, she was shooting arrows, having been introduced to archery at the age of seven. Soon, her interest tilted decisively toward the latter.
As her passion and skill grew, training in Tembhurni was no longer enough. Pune, a 160-kilometre drive from her village, was a better option – but with twin sisters five years younger than her at home and both parents practising doctors, it was a complicated one.
That’s when Dipali decided to give up her medical practice and curtail time with her younger children to support Gatha’s archery ambitions. For a few years, Gatha would travel twice or thrice a week from Tembhurni to Pune to train.
“The trip was long, but the moment I started shooting, all the tiredness would go away,” Gatha said.
Last year, with domestic medals signalling greater promise, the mother-daughter duo moved to Pune and began living in a rented flat near the Archers Academy, where she is training under coaches Ranjeet Chamle and Ram Shinde. Gatha now visits home only on some weekends – those are also the few times Dipali gets to be with her 10-year-old daughters.
