Indian compound archers strike gold twice, return with five medals from World Cup Stage 4

PTI, Aug 19, 2023, 8:48 PM IST

Representative image (source: Pexels)

Paris: Indian archers claimed a double in the compound events, winning both men’s and women’s team gold to end their campaign with five medals in the World Cup Stage 4, here on Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Indian men’s compound team of Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale and Prathamesh Jawkar downed second-seeded American trio of Kris Schaff James Lutz and Sawyer Sullivan 236-232 in the final.

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Fresh from becoming world champions earlier this month in Berlin, compound women’s team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur survived a scare before prevailing over Mexico by one point.

In the afternoon session, Jyothi clinched the fifth medal for India, and second for her, when she bagged the bronze in the individual women’s compound section.

Jyothi defeated five-time World Cup gold medallist Sarah Lopaz of Columbia in the shoot-off. Both were tied 146-all after the regulation ends and the Indian won the tiebreaker shooting an X (closer to the centre).

Indian men’s compound team were trailing by one point after the first end as the American had perfect round of 60. But the Indians kept their consistency with yet another 59 to see them level 118-118 as the Americans dropped two points.

The stalemate prevailed in the third end also before the Indians stepped up in style, shooting a perfect 60 in the final end to edge out their higher-ranked opponents by four points.

The men’s team had eliminated Korea in the semi-final in a match that went down the wire after the regulation ends produced 235-all.

The tiebreaker also produced a stalemate with both teams drilling in perfect 30, but the Indians was adjudged winners for hitting closer to the centre.

The Indian women’s team, who got the top-billing by topping the qualifiers, had a 118-117 lead at the halfway stage.

But they slipped in the penultimate end, dropping three points as Andrea Becerra, Ana Hernandez Jeon and Dafne Quintero shot a 59 to take a 176-175 lead.

The Indians held their nerves and shot a near perfect 59 with five 10s including one X (closer to the centre) that was enough to seal the gold medal with a 234-233 victory.

India earlier claimed a pair of recurve team bronze medals.

The recurve men’s team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Atanu Das and Tushar Prabhakar Shelke were the first to seal their place on the podium as they came from behind to beat Spanish trio Pablo Acha, Yun Sanchez and Andres Temino.

The recurve women’s team of Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur then repeated the feat with a bronze of its own, as it beat Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, Angela Ruiz and Aida Roman in a shoot-off after the teams were locked at 4-4.