In a display of skill and determination, Indian archers secured bronze medals at the Asian Archery Championships on Wednesday, showcasing their prowess in both women’s recurve and men’s compound categories.
Also Read: Indian Compound Archery Women’s Team Strikes Gold at Asian Games
The women’s recurve team, comprising Tisha Punia, Bhajan Kaur, and Ankita Bhakat, triumphed over Chinese Taipei with a convincing 5-1 scoreline in the bronze medal match. Despite a valiant effort, the Indian trio had faced a setback in the semifinals, losing 6-2 to South Korea led by current Olympic champion An San. Unfortunately, this loss dashed India’s hopes for the first 2024 Paris Olympics quota in archery, as the top-placed team per gender secures the coveted slots.
On the men’s compound front, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav, and Olympian Tarundeep Rai faced a quarter-finals exit, falling short against Kazakhstan with a narrow 5-4 defeat. This marks another missed opportunity for Indian archers to secure Olympic quotas, as they had previously failed to do so at the World Archery Championships and Asian Games earlier this year.
Switching gears to non-Olympic compound archery, the men’s team, featuring 2018 Asian Games champion Abhishek Verma, Prathamesh Fuge, and U21 world champion Priyansh, clinched bronze after a thrilling shoot-off against Chinese Taipei. The scores were tied at 235 after two sets, and India secured the win with a 29-28 shoot-off victory.
The women’s compound team, consisting of Aditi Swami, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, and Parneet Kaur, displayed exceptional prowess by earning a spot in the gold medal match. They secured their place after defeating Thailand 228-217 in the semifinals and are set to face Chinese Taipei in the final on Thursday.
Adding to the excitement, Surekha and Parneet also reached the finals of the individual women’s compound category, setting the stage for a thrilling head-to-head clash on Thursday. Aditi, despite facing an upset in the third round against Bangladesh’s Bonna Akter, rebounded by advancing to the finals of the mixed-team event alongside Priyansh.
Thursday’s action promises more riveting matchups, with Aditi and Priyansh facing Thailand’s Kanoknapus Kaewchomphu and Lertruangsilp Nawayut in the mixed-team event final. Additionally, Abhishek Verma will be vying for bronze in the individual men’s compound event after a semi-final loss to Andrey Tyutyun of Kazakhstan.
The Asian Archery Championships, spanning from November 3 to 10, continue to captivate audiences with outstanding performances from India’s archery contingent. As they add more medals to their tally, the focus remains on their relentless pursuit of excellence and the dream of securing Olympic quotas in future competitions.
