India’s Pragati Choudhary reaches Paris after recovering from stroke

Her world was a mystery. 

Pragati Choudhary couldn’t recognise herself when she awoke from a coma in June of last year. A month earlier, on the night of 5 May 2020, the former national youth games winner fell in her home from a dizzy spell that would later be diagnosed as a brain haemorrhage.

Choudhary remained unconscious for several days. She underwent multiple operations and remained in the hospital for what felt like an eternity. When she finally came through, she had to relearn everything.

“I didn’t remember anything,” she said, “about archery.”

Her bow could wait. First, she had to start walking. Choudhary’s father, Atul Kumar, recalled showing his daughter photos of her competing, winning medals and travelling as part of the Indian under-18 national squad for her international debut at the 2019 World Archery Youth Championships. It was motivation during gruelling hours of physiotherapy, but it was all just a distant memory.

“It was difficult for me to even think about a comeback,” Choudhary said. 

But she and her family persevered. Kumar applied for financial assistance from the sports ministry of India and sold his small stationery store as a means of fundraising. Indian archers, including Atanu Das and Abhishek Verma, rallied in support of the youth international, praying for a full recovery.

Eventually, Choudhary could think about returning to the sport she’d left behind. Soon after, she was able to shoot an arrow. Then, in her first competition since the incident that threatened to take away everything, the 17-year-old put in a career-best performance during India’s team trials to make the team that would attend the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup. 

Now fully healthy, with a slight change to her sleep schedule and training routine, Choudhary and her compound teammates will shoot at stage three of the international circuit in Paris in a little over a week. 

“We all the time knew she may make it,” Kumar said. “After a dreadful year, this brand-new year has introduced a variety of pleasure to our lives. She has it in her to go a great distance.”

It will be great to see Pragati back on the shooting line next week.

The third stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup starts with qualification on 22 June in Paris.