Veteran Indian Olympian archer Shyam Lal Meena dies at 61

Representational Image (Pic: AFP)

Shyam Lal Meena, who is one of India's star Olympic archers, has passed away at the age of 61. He was also a member of the country's first-ever archery group at the Olympic Games.

The former archer died on Sunday night as he was suffering from a prolonged illness. According to Olympics.com, Meena was battling liver-related complications. He took his last breath at a hospital where he was being treated following a deterioration in his health.

Born on March 4, 1965, in Kevadia village of Rajasthan's Banswara district, Meena rose from modest beginnings to become one of the early torchbearers of Indian archery.

In the initial years, he trained with a bamboo bow amid financial hardships. Later, he earned recognition through the Government's Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme, which helped nurture his talent.

The Rajasthan-born archer was also part of the Indian men's recurve team along with legendary archer Limba Ram and Rajat Haldar. The team managed to claim a bronze medal in the 1987 Archery Championships in Kolkata. This was also the nation's first major international medal in the sport.

The victory also helped India qualify for the Seoul Olympics 1988. This also marked India's debut in the sport at the Summer Games.

Meena managed to break into India's Olympic squad for the 1988 Summer Games and donned the national jersey along with Ram and Sanjeeva Singh.

At the Seoul Olympics, Meena finished 71st in the individual qualification round, while the Indian men's recurve team was placed 20th overall.

He was also conferred with the Arjuna Award in 1989 for his contributions to Indian archery.

Over the course of his career, he represented the country at several international competitions and played a key role in making archery a well-known sport in Rajasthan and beyond.

After retiring from competitive sport, Meena remained associated with archery as a coach at the District Sports Training Centre in Banswara, where he mentored young athletes and contributed to the grassroots development of the sport.

His journey from a small Rajasthan village to becoming one of Indian archery's founding figures continues to inspire generations of athletes.

(With inputs from Agencies)