Harvinder Singh: Gold medal-winning para-archer who is also pursuing PhD in Economics

Harvinder Singh created history on Wednesday at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, becoming the first Indian archer to win a gold medal at the prestigious event. Harvinder won gold in the men’s individual recurve open competition in Paris, three years on from winning a bronze in Tokyo.

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The 33 year-old from Kaithal, Haryana, began his campaign with a 7-3 win over Tseng Lung-hui of Chinese Taipei in the last 32, and got the better of Indonesia’s Setiawan in the last 16 with a 6-2 victory.

His arrow has hit GOLD!

Harvinder Singh has unleashed the true power of precision with his golden triumph in the Para Archery Men’s Individual Recurve Open at #Paralympics2024!
With every shot, he’s demonstrated that extraordinary skill & relentless determination can conquer… pic.twitter.com/B6jHYMpDK3

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 4, 2024

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He would go on to beat Colombia’s Hector Julio Ramirez by the same margin, before seeing off Iran’s Mohammad Reza Arab Ameri 7-3 in a tense encounter.

In the final against Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek, Harvinder was dominant almost all throughout, and one of his major characteristics throughout the day was that he hardly displayed any nerves and remained confident all day.

Who is Harvinder Singh?

Harvinder Singh, originally from Ajit Nagar village in Haryana’s Kaithal district, belongs to a farmer family. He faced adversity at a young age, when he was just one and a half years old, he contracted dengue and required injections for treatment.

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Unfortunately, the side effects of those injections led to the loss of function in his legs. Despite this setback, he discovered a passion for archery while watching the London Paralympics in 2012. Recognizing his talent, his coach guided him to make his debut at the Para Archery World Championship in 2017, where he finished 7th. In 2018, he achieved further success by winning a gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Para Games.

A very special Gold in Para Archery!

Congratulations to Harvinder Singh for winning the Gold medal in the Men's Individual Recurve Open at the #Paralympics2024!

His precision, focus and unwavering spirit are outstanding. India is very happy with his accomplishment.… pic.twitter.com/CFFl8p7yP2

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 4, 2024

During the lockdown, his father supported his ambitions by converting their farm into an archery range. Alongside his sporting achievements, Harvinder is also pursuing a PhD in Economics from Punjabi University, Patiala.

Harvinder had made history by winning bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics which was India’s first ever archery medal at the Paralympics. His journey from adversity to triumph is a testament to determination and passion.

Harvinder Singh key details

Date of birth: February 25, 1991

Home location: Kaithal, Haryana

Discipline: Recurve men open and mixed team

Event: Archery

Training base: SAI Sonipat and Punjabi University, Patiala

Disability class ST: Amputation of forearm above the wrist, that is, without wrist joint/Amputation of lower 1/3 of the leg, that is, without ankle joint.

What are Harvinder Singh’s achievements?

—Tokyo Paralympics (2020) - Bronze medal

—Asian Para Games 2022 (2023) – Bronze medal in Men’s Team

—Asian Para Games (2018) - Gold medal

—Asian Para Championship (2023) – Silver Medal in Men’s Team

Government support

—Financial Assistance for Equipment

—Financial Assistance for Training & Competition

—Training facility including boarding & lodging at SAI Sonipat

—Out of Pocket Allowance under TOPS