Three-Year-Old Attempts Guinness Record; Shoots 1,111 Arrows

At a time when Indian athletes are engrossed in the ongoing Asian Games, three-year-old Chennai girl, P Sanjana is gearing up to set another remarkable record for the country. On Independence Day, she attempted a Guinness World Record by shooting  1,111 arrows at a target 8 meters away in three-and-a-half hours.

Meet the Little Super Archer

P Sanjana, a three-year-old, completed the target within the time, and on most occasions, she did not miss her target.

Premnath, P Sanjana's father works at a government hospital in Chennai. Her mother, Swetha Premnath is a home maker. The young girl's fascination for bows and arrows led her parents to nurture her interest in archery so early in life. Her mother is keen that the young prodigy sharpens her skills to become an Olympian some day.

“On her first birthday, she got a gift of a bow and arrow from someone. She wouldn’t let it go. So I decided to enroll her in an archery school. Most schools were non-registered, but Hu’s was a registered academy.

Many places turned me away when I told them she was only three and a half years old. When Hussaini asked me how old she was, I was afraid to say her age. But he accepted her immediately,” said P Sanjana’s father.

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In April this year, Sanjana joined the Hu Archery Mission. Her Coach Shihan Hussaini's believes that she can set the new world record.

Shihan Hussaini expressed, “When she joined me, I knew she would do well. I saw a fire in her eyes. When we gave her a bow on her first day, she refused to give it back. She learned whatever an adult would take three months to learn, in under ten days. Her technique, even at such a young age, is excellent.”

Dreaming Big

The three-year-old’s coach, Hussaini said, “She looked weary after two hours but she refused to give up.” She took a five-minute break after every hour.

"It was her will power, stamina and focus that made the feat possible. There's no doubt she can be an Olympian. The state and central governments should give her the best of the facilities,” added Hussaini.

The little girl has been practising after school every day, for the past three months. Her perseverance and focus at such a tender age is remarkable.

Her coach explained, "Human beings are capable of doing so many things. Just because no child has tried we can't say we've pushed her.”

Cheers pour in

Approximately two hundred students were present to cheer the girl. She was attempting the Guinness Record at the MGR Janaki College in Chennai.

Sports Minister Balakrishna Reddy, Mylapore MLA R Natraj, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Olympic Association JM Fernando, and the President of the Archery Association of Tamil Nadu, Kumar Rajendran were also present at the event.

The South Asia Archery Association nominated G Shankar as the official observer. He said, "The international body would submit details to Guinness seeking recognition. We've documented every little detail.”

Picture Credit: indiatoday.in

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Megha Thadani is an Intern with SheThePeople.TV