Jamshedpur: Teen sensation Gora Ho visited a government-run archery cradle at Dugni near Seraikela on Saturday and expressed gratitude to all those who helped him become an international recurve archer.

The 17-year-old, who was recently selected for the Khelo India Talent Development Programme, interacted with cadets, some of whom said they too wanted to walk in his footsteps. Gora had spent his formative years in this cradle.

The teen archer, who claimed team gold in Asia Cup Stage 1 in Bangkok, bronze in Asia Cup Stage 2 in Philippines and silver in Asia Cup State 3 in Chinese Taipei earlier this year, thanked the Seraikela-Kharswan District Archery Association president, Meera Munda, and patron Arjun Munda for their support.

"Khelo India Talent Development Programme mein select hone se socha kyon nahin Dugni jaou aur sabhi se milte aau jinhone mujhe yahan tak pahuchne mein madad ki hai. Dugni aa kar thoda bhavuk ho gaya tha (Thought why not visit Dugni after getting selected for the Khelo India programme and thank all those who helped me reach this far. I had become a bit emotional)," Gora said over phone from the cradle.

Ho, who switched over to the globally more acceptable recurve division from the Indian round last year after getting a bow from the state government, said he was shooting very well during his training stint at Army Sports Institute in Pune.

" Mera manobal bahut bada hua hain. Dugni ke coach B.S. Rao aur Himanshu Shekhar Mohanty ne mera hausla hamesha se badaya. Woh din mein nahin bhul sakta (My confidence level in very high now. Dugni coaches have always encouraged me. Cannot forget those days)," Gora added.

Naga Hembrom, a cadet of Dugni cradle, said Ho was a star performer for all the trainees here. "Gora aur naam kamayega. Uske yahan aaney se mujhe bahut khushi hui. Mein uske nakse kadam par chalna chahta hun (Gora Ho will earn more laurels. We are very happy over his visit here. I want to walk in his footsteps)," Naga, who also switched to recurve division from Indian round earlier this year, added.

Mohanty said Ho was a modest boy who had no attitude problems. "This quality will surely help him make more progress in international competitions," he added.

"He (Gora) is a serious archer who has loads of confidence in his shooting. He is also a hard worker who rarely misses his daily training sessions. These qualities will keep him in good stead in future," Rao had told The Telegraph recently.

Ho, who hails from a poor family, is presently standing on a strong recurve pedestal and is all set to win more glory for the country.