The Indian men's and women's compound archery teams secured the country of a podium finish by securing finalist spots.
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India’s preeminent recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara carried forward his impressive form from the previous year’s World Cup into the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai, China. Exhibiting stellar performance on Wednesday, he established a new national record with a score of 693, securing third place in the preliminary rankings. This was a significant improvement from his previous highest international score of 686, as he surpassed it by seven points.
Nipping at his heels was the seasoned Tarundeep Rai, who achieved a personal best at the international level, landing in the seventh spot with 684 points. Other Indian recurve archers faced challenges in the ranking round. Pravin Ramesh Jadhav, despite a commendable recovery in the latter half of the competition, managed to claim the 25th position with a score of 672, positioning him within the top 30.
The combined efforts of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep, and Pravin yielded a team score of 2049, which secured them the second seed in the event and a subsequent bypass of the initial round of elimination matches slated for Thursday. Mrinal Chauhan, however, had a demanding time in the ranking round, concluding the event at 81st place. This ranking precluded him from progressing further, as he failed to make the cut reserved for the top 64 contestants.
In the women’s recurve segment, after a two-year hiatus, Deepika Kumari’s return was modest as she finished in 30th place with a score of 656, ranking her as the third-highest Indian contestant. Ankita Bhakat topped the Indian female archers with a 15th-place finish and a score of 664, while Bhajan Kaur’s score of 657 positioned her in 29th place.
Collectively, the Indian women’s recurve team concluded the initial round in sixth place. Ankita is set to join forces with Dhiraj as a duo in the mixed team event, entering as the fourth-seeded team following a combined score of 1357, which likewise affords them an exemption from the first round of the contests. Ankita Bhakat secured the 25th position with a score of 664, behind Kaur Bhajan and the former world champion Deepika Kumari, who scored 657 and 656, respectively.
Also reentering the team after a two-year break, Kamalika Bari narrowly secured a spot in the knockout stage, finishing in 57th place and just above the threshold for the top 64 qualifiers. The previous day saw both men’s and women’s compound archery teams advance to the finals for the gold medals scheduled for April 27. Tomorrow’s morning session will see the recurve teams competing in the elimination rounds, while the compound individuals will take their turn in the afternoon session.
At the 2024 Archery World Cup’s qualifying phase, Jyothi Surekha Vennam stood out as India’s most exceptional talent. The 27-year-old notched a silver in the women’s compound division with a score of 711, just two points shy of Mexico’s Andrea Becerra’s leading score of 713. Aditi Gopichand Swami also made a noteworthy advance, securing an eighth-place finish with a 704 score.
Moreover, with Parneet Kaur’s performance garnering a 703 score for 14th place, and Avneet Kaur’s 696 placing her 23rd, the combined high scores of Jyothi, Aditi, and Parneet thrust the Indian women’s team to the forefront, clinching the top spot in team qualification with an aggregate of 2118. This score outstripped those of the South Korean and Mexican teams.
Elevating themselves to the prime contenders for subsequent stages, the Indian women’s team’s pre-eminence stemmed from the aggregated prowess of this dominant trio. In contrast, the Indian men’s contingent did not break into the top ten on the inaugural day, with Abhishek Verma’s 13th-place score of 708 leading their effort.
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