Sports Desk: Veteran Indian archer and Olympian Shyam Lal Meena passed away at the age of 61 after a prolonged illness, marking the end of an era in Indian archery. Meena, one of India’s pioneering archers, was a member of the country’s first-ever Olympic archery contingent at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He had reportedly been battling liver-related complications and breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Born on March 4, 1965, in Kevadia village of Rajasthan’s Banswara district, Meena rose from humble beginnings to become one of the early torchbearers of Indian archery. He initially trained using a traditional bamboo bow before being identified under the Government’s Special Area Games scheme.
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Meena played a key role in India’s bronze medal-winning campaign at the 1987 Asian Archery Championships in Kolkata alongside Limba Ram and Rajat Haldar. The achievement helped India qualify for Olympic archery for the first time in history. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Meena represented India along with Limba Ram and Sanjeeva Singh. He later received the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1989 for his contribution to Indian sports. The archery fraternity and sports community across the country mourned the loss of the veteran archer, remembering him as one of the pioneers who laid the foundation for India’s rise in international archery.
