Calling the shots

Straight shooting and a bull’s-eye focus on her chosen sport won young Yazneen Rana two bronze medals at Hanoi, Vietnam during the 3rd Asian Archery Grand Prix 2004. A second year BA student at Bombay’s prestigious St Xavier’s College, Rana was part of the Indian Women’s archery team (Compound bow) which secured a bronze medal at the meet held from November 10-15, 2004.

Yazneen is among the probable candidates for the selec­tion trials for forthcoming international tournaments — the 4th Grand Prix at Bangkok in February this year, World Cup archery in Spain in June and World University at Turkey in July, says her father Sarosh. But things are in a state of flux due to the death and destruction wrought by the tsunami in December and interna­tional events may be cancelled or rescheduled, adds Yazneen.

Rana: two bronze medals at Hanoi

Participating in the Indian Compound Women team, Rana’s medals came in the 70 m distance and in the Olympic round. "The Compound bow is a new and modern bow,” she explains. "You have to use a completely different set of muscles. It’s a new game in archery, just come in.” The Hanoi experience enabled her to observe and learn from the other archers and she even obtained useful tips, she says, from the coaches of other countries which included China, Philippines, Hongkong, Thailand, Myanmar, Malay­sia...

"Winning a medal at an international competition gives a very different kind of joy because the medal has been won not just for my family and close ones but also for my country. It also makes me feel proud of my parents for their continuous efforts because, if not for their immense support and encourage­ment, I would not have been able to make it this far,” she de­clares.

Living in a hostel in Bombay away from her hometown Jamshedpur, Rana practices at the University grounds. For her "excellent performance” at inter-university events, St Xavier’s College recognized her achievements with a prize in the academic year 2003-2004. Yazneen’s tally at international and national level stands at seven gold, six silver and 10 bronze medals so far, notes her proud father.