to add an interesting anecdote, there is an archer in indian mythology called Ekalavya who apparently showed great promise. he practiced his craft in honour of a legendary warrior called Dronā(chārya), assuming him to be his teacher, imagining how he would teach, and learning thus on his own.

Dronā himself was semi-retired by then and was teaching the princes of Hastināpur (5 of whom form the principle protagonists and 100 more of whom are the primary antagonists of the indian epic poem “Mahābhārata”) and, when he saw Ekalavya, he was afraid that this untitled prodigy would upstage his more royal proteges.

so he invoked an indian custom which states that a student must give a teacher whatever is asked of them and asked Ekalavya for his right thumb. his aim was to not let Ekalavya overshadow his charges since an archer needs his thumb to grip an arrow properly. Ekalavya cut his thumb off without hesitation and presented it to the teacher. Dronā was deeply touched by the willingness to undergo this sacrifice, as the story goes.

the relevance to this news article is that Ekalavya went on to practice drawing the bow with his feet instead and achieving aimilar levels of accuracy. this story in the OP is more than an archer overcoming her difficult circumstances; it’s also about her reliving a celebrated legend.

(although, separately, why Ekalavya just didn’t switch to being a southpaw, i don’t know.)

Hopefully the congratulating will be less awkward this time.

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