Ten days after giving birth to her daughter in 2017, Swati Chaudhary’s world began falling apart. What should have been a joyful beginning to motherhood turned into a medical ordeal that left her paralysed, confined to bed for five years and uncertain about her future.
Her daughter survived the delivery without complications. Swati, however, developed serious problems following anaesthesia, according to her account. Her husband, Gaurav Chaudhary, remembers the terrifying progression.
“First the left leg, then right one, then upper body,” he recalled.
Nine years later, Swati is making headlines for a very different reason. On Monday, the Indian Para archer marked her Asian Para Games debut by smashing the women’s W1 ranking-round record with 648 points, surpassing the previous mark of 627 set by China’s Minyi Chen at Hangzhou in 2023.
The achievement came on an extraordinary opening day for Indian archery. Sheetal Devi equalled the Games record with 704 points, while Payal Nag scored 675 as the pair topped the women’s compound doubles ranking round with a combined 1,379. Sheetal along with Toman Kumar also broke the compound Mixed Team World record with 1402.
But Swati’s achievement carried a particularly personal significance. She has not won a medal yet, and the competition is far from over. For someone who only took up archery in 2023, however, the record represents an extraordinary turnaround.
Five years that changed everything
“I had complications during delivery. The chest part was completely paralysed. I was bedridden for five years,” Swati said.
The physical suffering was accompanied by anxiety, depression and a growing sense of isolation.
“I was forgetting my identity. I used to live in a limited zone. I had a lot of dependency,” she recalled.
Gaurav, then running a business, gave it up to look after his wife and accompany her for treatment. Their savings gradually disappeared into medical expenses.
“Whatever we earned, we already put into the treatment,” he said.
Their mothers helped raise the couple’s daughter, Nitya, while Gaurav eventually returned to work as a software testing engineer, choosing a work-from-home arrangement that allowed him to continue supporting Swati.
Archery Became Her Second Life
The turning point came in 2023 when family friend and coach Vivek Chikara introduced the couple to Para archery.
Initially, Gaurav hoped the sport would simply give Swati something to look forward to beyond the confines of home.
“At the start, we were just taking it as entertainment. Just to keep her focused,” he recalled.
But Swati discovered something much bigger. “In the beginning, it seemed impossible. But I kept trying,” she said.
Training began at Gurukul Archery Academy in Meerut before progressing to the Sports Authority of India centre in Sonipat. The sport gradually restored the confidence she had lost.
“In archery, it has become my personal identity,” she said. “I don’t feel that anyone comes to me with pity.”
Gaurav has remained central to that transformation. “Wherever I am today, he is behind me. He is my pillar,” Swati said. For him, watching her compete internationally has made those difficult years worthwhile. “For us, archery is the second life for her,” he said.
Swati Chaudhary poses for a picture with husband Gaurav Chaudhary after setting a new Asian Games record.
A Daughter Waiting At Home
Success has brought sacrifices of another kind. Swati now trains for around seven hours daily and has spent nearly two months away from home preparing for Nagoya.
She even missed Nitya’s ninth birthday. Her daughter, she said, understands the demands of competition, although the separation is difficult.
“She is a little emotional. But she gives me strength. She tells me that I have to win,” Swati said.
Soon after Monday’s record, congratulatory voice messages arrived from home. Swati, meanwhile, refused to get carried away. Asked whether a medal was now assured, her answer was brief, “Not yet.”
She credits coaches Gaurav Sharma, Satyadev and Vivek Chikara, alongside support from SAI and Olympic Gold Quest, for helping her reach this stage.
The medal contest still lies ahead. But whatever happens next, Swati has already achieved something that once seemed impossible. “Obstacles come in everyone’s life. Problems also come. But we should never give up our will to live and fight,” she said.
For the mother who once feared losing her identity, archery has given her a future to pursue. And with her daughter cheering her on from home, a medal would be special.
By ND Prashant for APC
