On Saturday, in her final year as a junior, she buried it. Anahat won in straight games in the final against Ruqayya Salem, ended Egypt’s run of 13 straight titles, and secured a first for Indian squash.

“The score says 3-0, but it was definitely not comfortable. In a final, every single point feels like it’s the last,” she told The Hindu, in a virtual interaction facilitated by JSW Sports, on Monday.

Anahat felt she had a real shot at the title after the first two games — until things got tight in the third game.

She caught herself just in time, before the ghosts stirred again.

In the end, she lost just two games in the entire tournament and showed why she was the top seed and India’s No. 1 ranked player.

“The mental strength was always there, but I’ve not used it well. So I told myself to focus, get it done and then enjoy it all. Following a set routine really helped, and I think I have to follow it going forward.”

That said, her nerves actually eased as the competition wore on.

“I was more stressed out in my first few rounds because you really need to get the momentum right. I knew I was playing well and I was quite confident [going into the final]. I just wanted to get it over with because it was too stressful in the build-up to the tournament.”

Yet even history has its blind spots. The 18-year-old’s one regret? The winning moment itself.

“My celebration was really bad! Winning the title felt unreal, and so I couldn’t think of anything in the moment,” she added with a laugh.

Chikitha Taniparthi may describe herself as soft-spoken and introverted, but her exploits with the bow and arrow have long spoken for her loud and clear.

Last year, she etched her name in history books by winning India’s first-ever women’s individual gold in the compound category at the Under-21 World Archery Championships in Canada.

The 21-year-old has since made the transition to the senior team and is now set to make her Asian Games debut in Japan later this year. She credited Abhishek Verma for her strong showing at the trials.

“I didn’t have any expectations going into the trials because in the days leading up to the test, my trigger timing was off and, because of the wind, my scores were very low,” she told The Hindu.

Chikitha’s bid to make the squad was anything but straightforward.

“On the first day, I scored 693 and was ranked 13th. I didn’t shoot well. Abhishek anna pushed me to not hesitate. I listened to that and scored 351 and 351 (702). The following day, I totalled 353 and 352 (705). In the end, I was ranked sixth. In the round-robin stage, I won three matches in the morning and lost one with a tie. Abhishek kept speaking to me throughout. He even tuned my bow for me, initially. I pushed myself and won all my other matches and finished second.”

Her own selection for the Asian Games was a bittersweet moment, given her mentor Abhishek didn’t make the cut.

“Since I came into archery in 2021, Abhishek has been my mentor and has supported me. I have complete trust in him. After I got selected, he told me to become an Asian Games champion and to bring him the toy as a gift.”