The Indian women’s compound archery team comprising Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, and Parneet Kaur achieved a historic feat by securing India’s first-ever gold medal in the World Archery Championship held in Berlin. In a thrilling final, they outclassed the top-seeded Mexican team with a score of 235-229, thus initiating India’s medal tally in the ongoing championships.
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Before the final showdown, the Indian team pulled off a remarkable upset by defeating defending champions Colombia with a score of 220-216 in the semifinals and secured a hard-fought victory over Chinese Taipei with a close 228-226 win in the quarterfinals.
This landmark achievement marks the first time Indian archers have clinched gold in the senior event since the country’s debut in the World Archery Championships in 1981. Previously, India had come close to victory, finishing as runners-up four times in the recurve section and five times in the non-Olympic compound discipline.
HISTORIC win for India 🇮🇳🥇
New world champions at the Hyundai @worldarchery Championships.#WorldArchery pic.twitter.com/8dNHLZJkCR— World Archery (@worldarchery) August 4, 2023
The Indian trio of Jyothi, Aditi, and Parneet displayed exceptional dominance from the outset, securing a lead of 177-172 after the initial three rounds against Mexico. They maintained their composure and accuracy, shooting five perfect 10s and two X (closer to the center) in the first round to put pressure on the Mexican team. With an identical second round and a five-point cushion going into the decider, they sealed the victory with a composed performance in the final round, earning a score of 58.
In addition to the team’s success, Jyothi, Aditi, and Parneet progressed to the quarterfinals in the hunt for individual medals. Jyothi, who missed out on gold in four previous occasions, finally claimed the individual gold, adding to her remarkable collection of one gold, four silver, and two bronze medals from the World Championships.
Expressing their joy and determination, Jyothi and Aditi spoke about the significance of this achievement for Indian archery. The victory also reflects the rising talent and potential in the country’s compound archery, generating excitement for future prospects.
National high performance director Sanjeeva Singh emphasized that this historic win might increase the chances of compound archery being included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as an indoor sport (18M and 25M), further bolstering the sport’s growth in India.
While Indian recurve archers couldn’t secure medals in this tournament, they showcased promising performances, with Dhiraj Bommadevara and Simranjeet Kaur achieving their best finishes in the section by reaching the pre-quarterfinals.
The journey of Indian archers in the World Archery Championships has seen some notable achievements, including silver medals in recurve discipline in Madrid 2005, Turin 2011, Copenhagen 2015, and Den Bosch 2019.
Additionally, India has clinched medals in the compound category, with Rajat Chauhan winning individual silver in Copenhagen 2015, and the women’s team securing silver in Mexico City 2017 and bronze in Den Bosch 2019.
