Rakesh Kumar (Archer) Height, Age, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Other Name	Rakesh Bazal
Profession	Para Archer
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Archery
Event	Archery compound men open and mixed team
Medals	Gold • World Para Archery Championships, Plzeň (Mixed Team Compound) - 2023 • Asian Para Games, Hangzhou (Mixed Team Compound) - 2022 Silver • Asian Para Games, Hangzhou (Men's Individual Compound - Open) - 2022 • Asian Para Games, Hangzhou (Men's Team Compound) - 2022 Bronze • Paralympic Games, Paris (Mixed team compound) - 2024
Coach/Mentor	Kuldeep Vedwan, Abhilasha Chaudhary
Awards & Honours	• Felicitated by the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha for his performance in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics (September 2021) • Named as one of the Para Athletes of the Year for 2023 at the GoSports Foundation Annual Sports Awards in India
Personal Life
Date of Birth	13 January 1985 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2024)	39 Years
Birthplace	Katra, Jammu and Kashmir
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Katra, Jammu and Kashmir
College/University	Galgotias University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Educational Qualification	Bachelor of Arts
Religion	Hinduism
Tattoo(s)	Left Forearm- A tattoo of compass and arrow
Social Media	• Instagram • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Jyoti Devi
Children	Son- Vansh Verma
Parents	Father- Pritam Chand (Carpenter) (Deceased) Mother- Darshana Devi
Siblings	Brother- Deep Kumar (cab driver)
Favourites
Cricketer	Sachin Tendulkar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rakesh Kumar

• In 2009, Rakesh met with a car accident due to which his spinal cord was injured. It took him 4 years to recover from the accident but his legs stopped working due to which he became wheelchair bound.

• Due to depression, Rakesh attempted suicide thrice but every time, he was saved by his friends and family.

• Rakesh used to run a mobile recharge shop in Katra to support his family.

• Rakesh’s archery journey started in 2017 when he met his coach at a local archery camp who advised him to become an archer. In an interview, Rakesh said,
  

  The coach felt that I had strong arms and insisted I should try archery and continue if I like it.”

  

  Rakesh Kumar with his coach

• In 2018, Rakesh was a member of the team which won the gold medal at the European Circuit 2nd leg in the team competition.

• Initially, Rakesh was supported by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board which provided him with equipment and coaching, and later, the Archery Association of India, the Paralympic Committee of India, and the Sports Authority of India also supported him.
  

  Rakesh Kumar being honoured by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Katra

• In the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Rakesh came 6th in both the Individual Compound Open event and the Team Compound Open event.

• Rakesh was appointed assistant coach by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in 2023.

• In the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Rakesh missed out on the bronze medal by just finishing one point behind China’s He Zihao in the Para Archery Individual Compound Open Bronze Medal match.
  

  Rakesh Kumar during the individual bronze medal match