Sohit Kumar, aged 11, broke the national archery record on Wednesday, at the Under-15 National Archery Championship, held in Guntur. Kumar, competing against athletes much older than him, set an impressive record by scoring 710 points out of 720 in the championship, securing a gold medal to his name.

Humble Background

Sohit Kumar hails from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. His father is a vegetable vendor, and uses crutches for movement. At his son’s achievement the proud father commented, “No one in the family was ever a sportsman. This is god’s blessing and my son’s hard work.”

Sohit’s family is originally from Aligarh, but had moved to Jabalpur 15 years ago. Earlier, his father was a farm worker for Rinku Chaudhary, an army physiotherapist. When Rinku relocated, the family moved too.

After losing a leg in a road accident 15 years ago, Sohit’s father continued to provide for the family, selling vegetables on a pushcart while on crutches. Sohit has inherited the same grit and resilience.

Chaudhary spotted Sohit’s potential early and introduced him to coach Ricchpal Singh at the archery academy. Although the academy typically accepts students aged 12–16, Ricchpal was so struck by Sohit’s raw talent that he made an exception.

“I felt if he wasn’t given a chance now, his talent would go to waste. That’s why I gave him admission — and he proved himself,” said Ricchpal.

Compound Archer

Sohit is a compound archer, and has his sights set on the 2028 LA Olympics, where the ‘compound’ category will be introduced.

A Class 7 student, he trains at the MP Archery Academy in Jabalpur. At just 10, Sohit even competed for Madhya Pradesh in the Senior National Championship in Jamshedpur last year. Though he couldn’t win a medal, the his performance got him noticed.

He went on to win gold, silver, and bronze medals at the SGFI School National Games in Gujarat in 2024, and a gold at the Open National Archery Tournament in Uttarakhand the same year.