DOLLY SIVANI CHERUKURI
Youngest Archer
Dolly Sivani Cherukuri is a toddler from Vijaywada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. She is barely 3 years old and has learnt the art of archery. Yes, she is probably the youngest archer in the world to have achieved a score of 388 shooting a total of 72 arrows from the distances of 15 and 22 feet.
Her practice spans to 3 hours a day. Since her birth her toys consisted only of bows and arrows. Experts say that it is totally surprising for such a tender kid to master such an art which not only requires physical ability but also patience and determination.
In a sad incident her older brother, Lenin Cherukuri, who was the coach of the Indian archery team for the Commonwealth Games died in a road accident in 2010. Dolly's father, Mr. Satyanarayana wants her daughter to carry on the legacy left by her brother.
The academy in which Mr. Satyanarayana trains many of India’s top archers who have competed even in the Olympics and won medals in the Commonwealth Games. Now Mr. Satyanarayana wants his prodigious daughter to be the torchbearer after she crosses her 9 year mark.
