Chaandvi Prasad has made history as the first female archer to represent Fiji at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
She secured her spot with a bronze medal win at the Oceania Qualification Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.
The 26-year-old from Labasa embarked on her archery journey just six years ago where she discovered the sport through a social media page and quickly rose through the ranks.
“I never thought I would take up archery competitively, but after winning a few medals at my first Fiji Games in 2018, I invested in my own bow set and started training seriously,” Prasad shared.
Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chaandvi resumed her training in 2022, balancing her athletic career with her medical studies.
She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Fiji National University and is currently an intern at Labasa Divisional Hospital.
Her training is primarily remote, with her coach based in Suva while she is in Labasa.
“I don’t get as much time as I would like with my coach, but he checks on me every day, asking about my training and health, and I am constantly sending him training videos and updates,” she explained.
The archery events at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be held at the Esplanade des Invalides, France.
