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Compound archers Aditi and Deotale with coach Sawant.
| Photo Credit: Y.B. Sarangi
Following their overwhelming success and a subsequent slump in form, 2023 compound men’s and women’s individual World champions Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale have fought their way back to prove themselves at the domestic level and are eager to do so in international competitions.
The 23-year-old Deotale, and 19-year-old Aditi, who last donned India colours in the World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya in June last and missed the World championships team, were delighted to claim National titles in Hyderabad last month and finish among the top-four in the first selection trials here to book their tickets to the first two World Cups of 2026.
Their coach Pravin Sawant explained his wards’ problems.
“Aditi used to panic, a teenage trait, apart from having issues with her basics. I took her back to bamboo bows to rectify her body alignment. Then I put her through the basic compound bow and began from the start. Ojas was struggling due to injuries,” Sawant told The Hindu.
A 20-day stint with Sergio Pagni of Italy, who coached the Indian team in 2023, in the last quarter of 2025 also helped Deotale, Aditi and Prathamesh Jawkar (who returned from recurve to compound).
“I had equipment issues in 2024 and health issues in 2025. There was pressure from people because of my World champion status. I had a busy schedule for three years, so I could not get time to work on my basics and used to worry too much. The coach fine-tuned my basics,” said Aditi while expressing happiness over her improvement.
Deotale was delighted to regain his rhythm.
“In 2024, I got injuries in my left shoulder due to a wrong shooting posture. In 2025, I returned to the Indian team but it was not easy. Being a World champion brought additional pressure. I worked on the technique, improved my posture and I am shooting better. I won the National ranking title, the Archery Premier League (APL), the National crown and the trials,” said Deotale.
Now, the two champions from Maharashtra want to assert their class in big events, including the Asian Games, this year.
Published – January 11, 2026 05:44 pm IST
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Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale
