Abhishek-Jyoti duo won their maiden World Cup gold in the mixed team archery event
Abhishek-Jyoti duo won their maiden World Cup gold in the mixed team archery event
India won their maiden World Cup gold in the mixed team archery event after the pair of Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam beat their seasoned French opponents in the Stage 3 edition here on Saturday.
Making a stellar start, the Indians sealed the competition 152-149 with late resistance from French duo Jean Bolch and 48-year-old Olympic medalist Sophie Dodemont, a first World Cup gold for India in the mixed team. Competition .
The gold also opened the account of Indian archers, who have assured a second medal in the women’s recurve team event, where the trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakta and Simranjit Kaur will fight for the yellow metal on Sunday.
Coming back after more than seven months, World No. 3 Jyothi, who was sidelined in the Asian Games trials, is also on the hunt for another medal as she takes on French veteran Sophie in the individual semi-finals later in the day.
Beijing Olympics bronze medalist, Sophie switched to mixed discipline after failing to make it to the 2012 London Olympic team.
The third-seeded Indians took a flight while drilling in four 10s, including two Xs, and raced to a three-point lead and put early pressure on the French pair.
The Indians scored just a 10 at the other end as the French pair reduced the deficit to a single point.
The third was a tie, while in the deciding fourth, Abhishek and Jyoti beat their opponents by two points to capture the title.
The most successful Indian compound duo of Abhishek and Jyoti have a handful of World Cup bronze medals and their best was a silver medal at the World Cup final in Yankton last year.