For compound archer Rishabh Yadav, archery began with inspiration and soon became a serious career. He started compound archery in 2014 and slowly moved from national-level events to international competitions, including World Cup stages and team events for India. In 2025, he had a standout season, winning gold in the mixed team event in Auburndale, a bronze in Shanghai and then going on to shoot a career-best 716 in Madrid, where he helped India set a new mixed team world record score of 1431. A Khelo India medal in 2019 was an important milestone in his journey. Since then, he has never looked back. As he prepares to represent the country at the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, we get chatty with Rishabh to talk about archery, his training routine and the importance of mental focus in the sport.
When did archery become serious for you and why did you choose compound archery?
I chose compound archery in 2014. That was the first time I saw my mentor — Abhishek Verma — and his story was so inspiring. I knew that if I had to pursue archery, I would pick compound as my focus for the future. A major turning point came in 2019 when I won a Khelo India medal. That gave me the opportunity to train at the Sports Authority of India centre, where I got to work with some of the top athletes in the country. That’s when I decided to pursue the sport professionally
What does a normal training day look like for you?
A typical day starts around 6.30 or 7 in the morning. After breakfast at about 7.30, we begin training at 8. The first session goes on till around 10.30 or 11. From 11 to 12, we focus on strength and conditioning or physio, working on specific muscles and rehabilitation. Lunch is around 1.30 and then we head back for the second practice session from 3 to 6 in the evening. After that, if needed, we do cardio, mental training or review and analyse the day. Post that, it’s rehab again. We follow this routine about five days a week.
How important is mental focus compared to physical skill in archery?
Mental focus is extremely important. Since it’s an outdoor sport, there are many uncontrollable factors. In those moments, it’s important to stay calm and centred. We use techniques like visualisation and breathing exercises, aligning them with our technical process. Even reading can help build focus. All of this plays a big role in performance.
What goes through your mind just before you release an arrow?
At that moment, it’s all about the process. I’m not thinking anything out of the box — it’s either the technical process or some self-talk. Our hold time in anchor is about seven seconds, so there isn’t much time to think beyond executing what we’ve been trained for.
With the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games coming up, how are you preparing differently?
Right now, I’m training at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary. It’s one of the best places for preparation because we have access to high-performance directors and detailed insights into physiology and nutrition. We’re working on small but important aspects that can help us improve and prepare better for upcoming competitions. The weather here is similar to what we might face later in the year, which helps with conditioning.
What has your experience been like training at the Inspire Institute of Sport?
It’s a very competitive environment. It’s not just archery — there are athletes from swimming, athletics, judo, taekwondo and more. Watching how others train at a world-class level is inspiring and there’s always something to learn. The high-performance staff here are excellent. From day one, they had already analysed my technique through video and knew exactly which muscles I needed to work on to improve posture and performance. Even on the nutrition side, they look at competition schedules and recovery time. For example, in competitions, there’s often just a three-hour gap between sessions, so, recovery and nutrition during that window are crucial. We’re working on all of that here.
What does a typical day look like for you outside of training?
Outside training, it’s pretty simple. I might go shopping, travel back home or spend time with family. Sometimes, it’s just about catching up on sleep — even 12 hours if I can.
Do you follow a strict diet, or do you still have cheat meals?
I do have cheat meals, but now that I have more knowledge about nutrition, I do think twice before having them.
What keeps you motivated on tough days?
Whenever I have a tough day, I remind myself why I started. I began archery because I genuinely enjoy it — I’m happiest on the field. It’s not something I do because someone told me to. So, whenever I feel low, I just think about that younger version of myself who loved the sport.
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