Jharkhand emerged as the overall champion (in Indian round) at the 38th NTPC Sub-junior National Archery Championship, which concluded in Amravati (Maharashtra) on Tuesday.

In all, the state bagged 7 medals -- 4 gold, 2 silver and one bronze -- in the Indian round (shooting with traditional bows and arrows) during the national event.

The state archers stamped their authority in the boys and girls team event, besides claiming 2 gold medals in individual round for girls and mixed team event. Jharkhand also finished with 2 silvers in the individual round for the boys and an individual bronze in girls category.

The gold medal-winning team archers (boys) included Goldy Mishra, handan Pramanik, Subham Bauri and Roshan Bhagat while Varsha Khalko, Lakshmi Kumari, Annu Singh and Savitri Kumari teamed up to win medals for the state in the girls category.

Varsha Khalko bagged a gold in (30 m shooting distance) individual round and joined Goldy Mishra to claim the top spot in the mixed event. Savitri Kumari finished with an individual silver (Olympic round) while Goldy Mishra also bagged an individual silver (20 m shooting distance). Lakshmi Kumari won an individual bronze (20 m shooting distance).

Dronacharya awardee and secretary of Jharkhand Archery Association (JAA), who accompanied the Jharkhand outfit as a coach, complimented the young archers for their splendid performance. "Our archers shot the arrows with concentration and that proved to be beneficial for the national championship," she said.

JAA vice-president Sumanta Mohanty also praised the archers for the show in the nationals. "The performance shows that our archers are hard working and well-trained under experienced coaches," Seraikela-based Mohanty, also joint secretary of Archery Association of India, said.

The state archery association has a good training set up in both urban and rural pockets. Experienced coaches guide the archers on various aspects of shooting, including posture.

Football and Volleyball league for women

Jamshedpur Sporting Association (JSA) on Tuesday announced the schedule for football and volleyball league for women. Both the events will be held from December 28 to 30 at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, said JSA secretary Avinash Kumar. So far, 7 teams Urban Services, Jamshedpur Women's Club, Super Girls Club, Sarkar Women's Football Academy, St Thomas School, BLS Football Academy and Masti Ki Patsala -- have taken registration forms for the football league. Masti Ki Pathsala has also taken registration form for volleyball league. Last date for submitting registration forms is December 11 and 12.