Patna: The three-day Raja Karna Bihar State Archery Championship ‘Lakshya’ 2026 began at Pataliputra Sports Complex on Sunday with 330 archers from across Bihar competing for honours. Organised by the sports department and Bihar State Sports Authority, the championship has 180 boys and 150 girls competing in Under-10, Under-13, Under-15, sub-junior and junior categories.Bihar State Sports Authority director general Ravindran Shankaran said the state govt was working for the overall development of sports and athletes, with state-level competitions providing a platform to identify promising players.“Our objective is not merely to organise competitions, but to identify talent through these events and provide them with the right training and guidance,” Shankaran said.He said the championship would help bring forward hidden talent from different parts of Bihar and give young archers an opportunity to showcase their skills at the state level.On the opening day, Gaya athletes secured several podium finishes in the Under-10 events.In the Indian Round boys’ category, Parth of Gaya won gold, followed by Ansh Sharma of Gaya and Krishna of Bhojpur. In the girls’ category, Aakriti Pandey of Gaya finished first, while Kashish Raj of Bhojpur and Priya Sharma of Gaya took second and third places.In the Recurve boys’ category, Shivanshu Narayan Singh and Manas Kumar, both representing MATC Gaya, finished first and second, while Aditya Singh of Nalanda was third. Diya Kumari of Gaya won the girls’ event, followed by Pardarshee Bhaskar and Shivanshika Yashai, both from Gaya.In Compound, Adwik Arnav of Patna topped the boys’ category, followed by Yug Kumar of Gaya and Parth of Patna. Safa Siddiqui of Gaya won the girls’ event, with Manya Singh and Purvi, both from Patna, finishing second and third.The championship continues on Sept 28 with Under-13, Under-15, sub-junior and junior competitions in Indian, recurve and compound rounds.
