PANAJI
Luis Jose Godinho, popularly known as Zito in Goa and the Gulf, is a well-known archery coach. The 65-year-old has trained hundreds of students in Goa, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. A former footballer, goalkeeper, and coach, his life changed when he lost his leg due to gangrene. Accepting the amputation with grace, he shifted his passion to archery and has been teaching since 1986, walking with an artificial leg.
Despite not completing school at Don Bosco in Panaji, Zito became a renowned football and archery coach, even starting an archery club at the same school. Today, he trains over 250 students in Goa. In the past, he has also taught archery to the late Benazir Bhutto, the late Lata Mangeshkar, and Asha Bhosale.
His wife, Leonor Godinho, has also learned archery, and together they teach at Sunshine World School, Young Achiever’s School, and Fr Agnel Central School in Pilar. Currently, they are in Andhra Pradesh with their students “ Shanaia Caiado, David Fernandes, Dhruv Naik, Cael Mendes, and Ridhaan Goel “ for a national archery competition.
From 1986 to 2016, Zito coached individuals of all ages and nationalities, as well as corporate groups, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He officiated at international games and continued coaching after returning to Goa in 2016.
“Having Level 2 and Level 3 USA Archery certificates, I founded Zito Archery Club “ an academy where children are trained in skills, physical fitness, mental strength, and technical aspects of the sport. They are also encouraged to participate in intra-state and national-level competitions,” shares Zito. Many of his students have excelled in state-level contests and represented Goa at national events.
Zito founded the archery club in Goa to promote the sport. His club offers indoor and outdoor training with excellent facilities, modern gear, and qualified personal trainers. Many students have won state competitions and gold medals in Dubai.
His journey began as a doorkeeper at the National Theatre in Panaji before becoming a football player and goalkeeper. At 18, he played for the Goa Police and Goa Customs teams. In 1984, he became a football coach at Don Bosco Oratory School and Varca Sports Club. In 1986, he got a job as a recreational manager at Dubai’s Azur Mountain Hatta Fort Hotel. With no football there, he learned archery, passed the USA’s National Archery Association exam, and became a certified trainer. He taught archery for 24 years until 2010.
In 2010, he joined Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi as an archery and shooting trainer. A year later, he developed gangrene in his toes due to diabetes, leading to the amputation of his leg. Despite this, he continued coaching until 2016. After retiring, he returned to Goa and set up an archery club at Don Bosco Oratory School, later shifting to other schools due to space constraints.
Today, Zito has no regrets, except for the lack of a larger space in Goa to teach archery. “A 70-metre range is necessary to learn professional long-distance archery. Kids as young as six join me, and there is no upper age limit for adults...More than physical fitness, one needs strong focus to master this sport,” concludes Zito.
