New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) Five-time Olympic medallist Brady Ellison, who is playing in the Archery Premier League (APL), the world’s first professional archery league, believes that the Indian archers gave the overseas players a tough competition while praising the growth of the sport in the country.

Ellison, who is representing the Chola Chiefs in the tournament, was astonished with India achieving a remarkable feat by successfully hosting the APL and said that the format of the tournament was challenging for all archers from around the world.

“It’s incredible what they have been able to achieve. I believe archery has remained unchanged for a long time, and we are all accustomed to the formats we shoot. Being a Premier League, the best league in the world, they have established a format that makes it challenging for all archers worldwide,” Ellison told IANS.

“I am ranked number one in the world, a feat I have achieved multiple times, and I hold five Olympic medals. This is the most challenging tournament I have ever participated in. It is fantastic to witness that, and I think this league has accomplished many things. No one really expected this league to do so much.

“I know the main goal was to gather top international shooters and help India improve so that they can win medals. We all totally understand that, but it is so much more than that. I believe the timing of the format and its difficulty essentially mean that when it takes off, it will create something that everyone will want to be part of.

“It will inspire kids all around the world, not just in India, to wish to be invited to this league at some point in their careers. This could become one of the pinnacle moments – if you get invited to the APL, it might be as significant as making the Olympic team. I think it’s a wonderful and amazing achievement that they have managed to accomplish,” he added.

Ellison also believes that the Indian archers are improving from strength to strength and emerging as formidable competitors against other internationals. The 37-year-old mentioned the dominance of India’s compound side while also noting the growth of the recurve side.

“Indian archers are keeping pace with all the internationals, and their stats are getting better and better, which just goes on to show that India is close to an Olympic medal. The shooters in India are dominant, with their compound side being very dominant; they are among the world’s best shooters. Even on the recurve side, you have people making the World Cup final, you have people who are in the top 10 in the world, and these guys have a great chance. Coming to the system is as hard as it is, and Indian archers have probably outdone the internationals,” he further stated.

— IANS

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