Forty is the new 20, they say. And when you see Jhano Hansda, you have to believe this feel-good spiel.
Jhano, fondly called the nanny of archery by youngsters in the ring, is all set to take part in World Police and Fire Games in Fairfax County, Virginia in the US. The biennial event will take place between June 26 and July 5.
A veteran archer since past two decades, Jhano has found a slot in the six-member (men and women, recurve/compound) Indian archery squad on the basis of her performance in the All India Police Games held in Guwahati in February.
" Khush hoon ki mera chayan hua hai. Achha karne ki koshish karungi (I'm happy for my selection. Will try my best)," Jhano told The Telegraph.
Though the veteran has donned India jerseys in offshore competitions, she is looking forward to representing her workplace now.
" Rashtriya police team se khelne ki baat kuch aur hai (Though I have represented the country in international events, playing for my employers is altogether a different thing)," Jhano, a sub-inspector with Government Railway Police (GRP), Tatanagar, added.
Jhano, who resides at Ranidih on Jamshedpur outskirts, is a shining example of longevity in women's archery.
The modest and unassuming tribal archer entered the field of recurve archery in 1996. She used to regularly pedal over 15km to reach JRD Tata Sports Complex for practice, but failed to make a mark in recurve division.
She switched over to compound archery in 2004 on the advice of former chief of Tata Steel sports department and Arjuna awardee Sanjeeva Singh, mastering the new form. That became her turning point.
She claimed bronze in Asian Circuit Championship in Vietnam in November 2004 and pocketed silver at the same meet in Bangkok in February 2005. In 2006, Jhano beat the world record of Jamie Van Natta of the US in the compound section by scoring 1,405 points in final selection trials for the national squad.
Her other achievements include a gold in the Asian Championship in Delhi in 2005 and a silver in the World Cup in June 2006. She also claimed team silver in World Cup in Croatia in 2006.
Jhano, who has not hit bullseye in the matrimonial space, has no plans to quit archery. Instead, she wants to groom young archers of Jharkhand.
"I give tips to archers who come to me. I ask them to do yoga and meditation. Archery is a mind game. The more you concentrate, the more you improve," said the lady who has been in the game long enough to know.
What are the ways in which you can keep fit and look fab at 40?
Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
