Asian Games: Indian archers off to an outstanding start at Hangzhou

NEW DELHI: Seasoned archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam claimed the top spot in the women's compound archery qualification, narrowly outperforming her South Korean counterparts. World champion Aditi Swami also secured her place, landing in fourth position and contributing to India's ascent to the top seeding in the women's compound archery event.
As the archery competition commenced at the continental showcase, the Indian archers demonstrated their prowess, particularly in the compound section.Their strong performance not only secured top rankings but also boosted India's confidence for the upcoming contests.
The Olympic-discipline recurve section also saw a commendable showing from Indian archers. Veteran Atanu Das secured the fourth position while, promising youngster Dhiraj Bommadevara finished in sixth place in the men's section. Their performances allowed the Indian men's recurve team to qualify as the third seed with a total of 2022 points.
In the recurve section, South Korea claimed the top position in the qualifiers with 2048 points, followed by Chinese Taipei at 2030 points.

The women's recurve and men's compound archery qualifiers were scheduled for the second half of the day, further adding to India's medal prospects.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam, a decorated Indian compound archer with eight medals at the World Championships, drew attention with her impressive display. She accumulated 355 points midway through the 36-arrow session, including 16 perfect 10s and 15 Xs (shots closer to the centre). Although she faced a slight dip in the latter half of the session, finishing with 349 points, Jyothi's aggregate score secured her the top spot ahead of South Korea's So Chaewon.
With the combined efforts of Jyothi, Aditi, and Parneet Kaur (who finished in 12th place), India achieved an aggregate team score of 2087, matching South Korea's total. However, the Indians claimed the top seeding due to their superior number of '10+X' scores.
This top seeding grants the Indian women's team a bye into the quarterfinals, where they will compete against the winners of the match between Hong Kong and Bangladesh.
In the men's recurve section, Atanu Das, making a strong comeback, secured the top Indian ranking in fourth place with a score of 678. Rising talent Dhiraj Bommadevara closely followed in seventh place with a score of 675. Tushar Shelke, finishing in 15th place, qualified for the team event, contributing to India's third seeding with a total score of 2022, just eight points behind Chinese Taipei.
(With PTI inputs)