Draper resident AnirudhKalyan (Ani) Pinjala is getting closer to his Olympic dreams. The 13 year old officially qualified to represent Team USA at the 2026 World Youth Pan American Archery Championships in Colombia this month. The World Youth and Pan American Archery Championships serve as qualification pathways for the Olympic Games, focusing on preparing athletes for future elite competitions.

Ani is passionate about the sport. “I love how much dedication it takes and I like how much perseverance is needed to keep going,” he said.

As his mother, Kalyani, explained, Ani qualified for Team USA based on all of the events he has competed in over the years. Last February, he competed in the JOAD Indoor National Championship which was held at Easton Archery Center in Salt Lake City.

JOAD stands for Junior Olympic Archery Development and is a USA Archery program for youth ages 8 to 20. It teaches young archers correct shooting techniques and offers a path from beginner to competitive levels. Competitors build confidence, earn achievement awards and may potentially advance to national or Olympic teams. In 2024, Ani was a Gold Medalist in the U14 U13 Division at the JOAD Indoor National Championship.

Ani discovered archery when he was 7 years old at the old Utah Archery Center in Sugar House. Kalyani recalled, “One Christmas we were walking around Sugar House and found a place where the whole family tried archery. And he really liked it!”

“I started with private lessons mixed with some group lessons,” Ani said. “I did archery at Datus in West Jordan, then Easton.” Kalyani remarked that there were many times over the years when Ani did not want to leave the archery center. “There have been times where he would say, ‘Just a few more hours!’” she said.

Kalyani explained that Ani is in the Olympic recurve archery division. Competitors in this division use a recurve bow which curves slightly away from the archer at the tips when strung. It allows for faster arrow speeds and is the only style of bow used in Olympic archery.

“I have two bows,” Ani said, noting that one is used for indoor competition and the other for outdoor. “The indoor bow is lighter weight.”

“I practice at least five or six days a week,” he said. “A minimum of two to three hours every day.”

AnirudhKalyan Pinjala was photographed at the 2024 Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) National Championship where he won a silver medal. (Photo courtesy of Balaji Pinjala)

Ani balances archery with school and other extracurriculars, which takes careful planning. “I have basically memorized somewhat of a schedule,” he said. “I know how long I have to practice and how many arrows I can shoot within that time.” He shoots between 50 to 75 arrows during his practice sessions.

In addition to archery, Ani enjoys tennis, piano and robotics. “He does robotics with a group of friends,” Kalyani said. “He’s competed in international robotics competitions.”

He also maintains a 4.0 GPA at Wasatch Junior High School in Salt Lake City. “I’m doing 11th grade math at Skyline,” he said. Following in his older sister’s footsteps, Ani plans to attend Hillcrest High School next fall for ninth grade.

The Pinjala family moved to Draper fairly recently. “We’ve been in Utah close to 30 years,” Kalyani said. “We lived in Sandy for 22 years.”

Ani’s parents have traveled with him to archery competitions around the country. “We’ve been to Iowa, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Arizona and California,” Ani said. His dad, Balaji Pinjala, does the driving. “Everywhere we go, we drive,” Kalyani said.

Ani enjoys the camaraderie at the competitions. “I compete against nearly the same people every time,” he said. “I enjoy hanging out with them.” He also mentioned how exciting it is to meet Olympic and professional “shooters” and take photos with them.

The 2026 World Youth Pan Am Archery Championships, which occurs May 22-29 in Medellín, Colombia, represents a big step for Ani. “It is a stepping stone,” Kalyani said. “The Olympics doesn’t have a youth division, but competing in Pan Am gives him some visibility on the world stage.” Ani will be one of just two competitors representing the United States in his particular category. He is looking forward to getting his Team USA T-shirt.

After Colombia there will be still more competitions as Ani must attend the qualifying events to retain his membership in Team USA. 

“I dream of being in the Olympics someday,” Ani said.