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Shyam Lal Meena, one of India's pioneering Olympic archers and a member of the country's first-ever archery contingent at the Olympic Games, died on Sunday night after a prolonged illness. He was 61.
Meena breathed his last at a hospital where he had been undergoing treatment following a deterioration in his health. He had reportedly been battling liver-related complications in recent years, according to Olympics.com. 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. He initially trained with a traditional bamboo bow despite financial hardships before earning recognition through the Government's Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme, which helped nurture his talent. Meena was part of the Indian men's recurve team alongside renowned archer Limba Ram and Rajat Haldar that clinched bronze at the 1987 Asian Archery Championships in Kolkata -- regarded as India's first major international medal in archery. The podium finish secured India's qualification for the Seoul 1988 Olympics, marking the sport's debut for the country at the Summer Games. Meena subsequently made the final cut for the Olympic squad and represented India at the 1988 Summer Olympics alongside Limba Ram and Sanjeeva Singh, becoming part of India's first-ever Olympic archery team. At the Seoul Olympics, Meena finished 71st in the individual qualification round, while the Indian men's recurve team placed 20th overall. In recognition of his contribution to Indian archery, Meena was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 1989. Over the course of his career, he represented the country at several international competitions and played a key role in popularising archery 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. (ANI)
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