NEW DELHI: Indian archers continued their impressive run at the Asian Games, with reigning world champion Ojas Deotale and veteran Abhishek Verma securing spots in the men's individual compound archery final. This accomplishment guarantees India a top-two finish in the event, adding to the country's medal count at the continental showpiece.
Ojas Deotale, fresh from his senior World Championship victory in Berlin two months ago, delivered a flawless performance with a perfect score of 150 against South Korean seventh-seed Yang Jaewon. Deotale's exceptional display, featuring seven perfect 10s closer to the centre (X), sealed his emphatic 150-146 win.
In the final, Deotale will face compatriot Abhishek Verma, who is eyeing an upgrade to his 2014 silver medal and appears to be participating in his last Asian Games. Verma eliminated top-seed Joo Jaehoon of South Korea with a clinical 147-145 victory.
In the women's compound individual semifinal, experienced archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam used her wealth of experience to overcome her younger teammate, world champion Aditi Swami. Jyothi secured a 149-146 win over Aditi and will face So Chaewon of South Korea in the final.
The Indian archers have confirmed three medals in archery at the Asian Games, and they remain in contention for podium finishes in seven more events, including recurve and compound sections.
Aditi Swami, who narrowly missed out on the final, will compete for the bronze medal against Ratih Zilizati Fadhly of Indonesia.
In the semifinal match, Aditi, who led by one point after four ends, encountered a setback when she misfired an arrow into the seven-point ring in the final round, allowing Jyothi to claim the victory.
Jyothi, who had lost to Aditi in the World Championships in Berlin in August, expressed relief at winning the semifinal.
Both archers began the match with perfect scores of 60 out of 60 in their first six arrows, but Jyothi slipped slightly in the third end by dropping a point.
Aditi maintained her accuracy in the 10-ring throughout the match but faltered in the final end, ultimately costing her the victory.
Earlier in the day, Abhishek Verma faced a fierce challenge from Kazakhstan's Andrey Tyutyun, who forced a shoot-off after the score was level at 147-147. In the shoot-off, both archers shot a 10, but Verma was declared the winner as his arrow was closer to the center.
Ojas Deotale and Aditi Swami also performed brilliantly in the quarterfinals, with Deotale shooting an incredible 150 out of 150 to defeat Akbarali Karbayev of Kazakhstan, while Aditi secured a 149-146 victory over Amaya Amparo Cojuangco of the Philippines. Jyothi ousted ninth seed Adel Zhexenbinova of Kazakhstan 147-144 in her quarterfinal match.
(With PTI inputs)
