Premila Baria (21) from Bor village of Panchmahal district

VADODARA: When this young tribal woman from a poor family in Panchmahal district participated in tournaments as a child, her aim was to hit the bull’s eye with a shot at the Olympics. She has been picked up for the trials for the same. But in the meantime, she will get an opportunity to prove her mettle at Archery World Cup round to be held in Guatemala in April.

Premila Baria (21) from the nondescript Bor village of Ghoghamba taluka in Panchmahal district has been a promising talent in archery since she started winning in Khel Mahakumbh in the state and at national level. At the international level, she won an individual silver medal and a team bronze at Seoul International Youth Archery Festa, 2016. She was also picked up for Asia Cup in Bangkok last year.

Baria is training hard at a camp organized in Pune for the Olympics. She will be travelling to Guatemala from there for the world cup. She has done well in the trials so far and hopes to do well in the remaining to make it to the Olympic squad too.

Baria, who competes in the recurve, said she had never hoped that she would reach so far. “I had started learning archery in the ‘ashram shala’ where I studied. At that time, I had no dreams. It was only after I was picked up for coaching at the centre at Nadiad, that I started hoping of participating in the Olympics someday,” she said. The Guatemala round of the world cup will be held from April 20 to 26. Those who qualify here will play the finals in Shanghai.

Senior coach of the district coaching centre at Godhra, Pratap Pasaya, said Baria had to struggle against all odds to reach this level. “We have even visited her home. They have a small land to till that does not have irrigation facilities. The land too is not very fertile. With some more support, she can be a medal winner,” he said.

