Bhakat’s journey in archery began in 2008 when she visited a local archery ground with her father to watch a state competition.
“As a child, I was always interested in sports,” she said. “I started practising yogasana at the age of three and was also interested in badminton, but could not continue because of financial challenges.”
For a period, she balanced archery, handball and yogasana.
“I could not focus on just one sport. I was already a national champion in yogasana, but there was not much future in the sport at the time. So I stopped and focused fully on archery.”
The 27-year-old believes years of practising yogasana helped her develop stronger shoulders and greater stability.
Dedication and perseverance followed soon after.
“I was always at the ground an hour before training started,” she said. “But there were challenges because there was not much equipment available for left-handed players. It took one year for my bow to arrive. My coach [Mithoo da] used to make my fletching before competitions.”
Bhakat describes it as a difficult journey.
“I desperately wanted to shoot recurve, but my family could not afford it. My father had very little income, so I had to continue in Indian round for six years. My aunt also supported me by buying my training equipment.”
She recalls spectators often asking why she was not shooting recurve.
“People used to tell me, ‘You shoot so well, why don’t you play recurve?’ I also used to wonder if I would ever shoot a recurve bow.”