Indian women's compound archery team strikes gold, mixed team bags silver in World Cup (WATCH)

First Published May 25, 2024, 11:14 AM IST | Last Updated May 25, 2024, 11:14 AM IST

The Indian women's compound archery team, consisting of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, and Aditi Swami, clinched their third consecutive gold medal at the Archery World Cup in Yecheon, South Korea, on Saturday. The world number one Indian trio dominated Turkey's Hazal Burun, Ayse Bera Suzer, and Begum Yuva from the outset, winning the final with a comfortable six-point margin (232-226).

Despite her success in the team event, Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam missed out on a second gold. In the compound mixed team final, she and her partner Priyansh, after leading initially, were defeated by the USA's Olivia Dean and Sawyer Sullivan by two points (155-153), resulting in a silver medal for the Indian duo.

For Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, and world champion Aditi Swami, this victory marked a hat-trick of World Cup gold medals together. The trio had previously won the season-opening World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai by defeating Italy last month and concluded the previous year with a gold at Stage 4 of the event in Paris.

In the compound women's team final, the second-seeded Indian team started strong with three Xs (arrows near the center) and dropped only one point each in the next three arrows, edging out their fifth-seeded Turkish rivals by one point in the first round.

The Indians showcased their dominance in the next round of six arrows, scoring five perfect 10s with two Xs and one 9, extending their lead by four points at the halfway mark.

Turkey fought back in the penultimate round, shooting four 10s with one X to match India's score of 58. However, the Indians maintained their four-point lead going into the fourth and final end.

They sealed the victory by scoring another 58, featuring three 10s and one X, securing the gold medal with a final score of 232-226.

In a showdown between the world's top-two ranked nations in the compound mixed team final, the USA staged a remarkable comeback to secure the gold and maintain their dominance.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Priyansh began strongly, taking a two-point lead with a near-perfect score of 39 out of a possible 40 in the first end. However, their consistency faltered as Olivia Dean and Sawyer Sullivan of the USA responded with a 39 in the second end, leveling the score at 76-all by the halfway mark.

The second-seeded USA pair then achieved a perfect 40 in the third end, gaining a slender one-point lead as the Indians scored 39, dropping one point. In the final end, Jyothi and Priyansh needed a flawless 40 to force a shoot-off but managed only a 38. The USA duo scored 39, sealing the gold with a final score of 155-153.

A third medal is also anticipated from the compound category in this edition of the World Cup, with Prathamesh Fuge just one win away from achieving his maiden individual World Cup podium finish.

Prathamesh Fuge, who caused an upset by defeating 2021 world champion and world No. 6 Nico Wiener of Austria in the quarterfinals, will face world No. 7 James Lutz in his bid for a maiden individual World Cup medal.

Fuge was also part of the gold medal-winning men's team at the World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai.

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