Indian trio bag gold in World meet
Shanghai: India’s compound archers clinched a team gold medal to conclude their Archery World Cup Stage 1 campaign here Saturday.
In the first major competition after last year’s Rio Olympics, the recurve archers failed to make much progress with Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari making quarterfinal exits in their respective rounds earlier in the event.
But it was the non-Olympic compound section that brought back smiles in the camp with a superlative show from fourth seeded Abhishek Verma, Raju Chinna Srither and debutant Amanjeet Singh. Competing as a team for the first time, they defeated the Colombian trio of Camilo Cardona, Daniel Munoz and Jose Carlos Ospina 226-221 in a one-sided final.
“Before coming here, we planned every detail to make it work. We all shot well throughout week and what we really want is to create a good impression of us in front of other teams,” Verma said after winning his first team gold, and second overall in the World Cup.
The Asian Games Incheon-2014 silver medallist suffered a heartbreak in the afternoon session when he along with Jyoth Surekha Vennam lost the bronze play-off to Reo Wilde and Jamie van Natta 151-153.
The 27-year-old Delhi lad Verma has previously won an individual gold in the World Cup Stage 3 Wroclaw-2015. He also has a mixed pair silver in the World Cup Stage 4 Wroclaw-2014, and a team bronze at the World Cup Stage 1 Shanghai-2015.
The Indians, began with four perfect 10s including one closest to the centre (X) to open up a 58-57 lead in the first set. With yet another four perfect 10s including one X from a possible six, the Indian team clinched the second set 58-56 to stretch their lead to three points (116-113). In spite of a 52-all tie in the third set, the Indians sealed victory in the fourth with a score of 58-56.
“There are so many strong compound men’s team around the world and, considering the Worlds in Mexico later this year, we need to keep shooting as we did here to get a good result there also,” an elated Verma said.
“Right now, our team comprise three men with different experiences but our training is showing we’re doing well. We are all the same; we all talk, make decisions together no matter how long we’ve been shooting for or what we’ve achieved,” Verma added.
In the bronze play-off, Verma and Jyothi lost the first set 38-39 against Wilde and Jamie. The next two sets ended in stalemates, but the American duo continued to enjoy their one point lead. They again won the fourth set 37-36 to seal the issue in their favour.
PTI