Archery World Cup: Indian men's compound team stun South Korea to enter finals, set up summit clash with France

The Indian men's compound team stunned archery heavyweights South Korea to storm into the finals at the Archery World Cup 2022 Stage 2 in Gwangju, South Korea, on Wednesday (May 18).

The Indian trio comprised of Abhishek Verma, Aman Saini, and Rajat Chauhan. They recouped from a two-point deficit towards the fourth end of the match to pull off an astounding win against the Korean trio of Kim Jongho, Choi Yonghee, and Yang Jaewon in a shoot-off.

At the end of the regulation rounds, both teams were tied at 233-233. However, the Indian archers outdid themselves by putting up an incredible effort to progress into the finals as the scoreboard read 29-26 in the shoot-off.

The fifth-ranked Indian men's team has been on a roll throughout the World Cup. They first thrashed the World No. 1 USA team and then South Korea in the quarterfinals and semifinal rounds respectively to cement their place in the finals.

Abhishek Verma, Aman Saini, and Rajat Chauhan exceeded all expectations to fetch a convincing win over USA 234-228 in the quarterfinals.

The women's compound archery team, on the other hand, suffered a two-point 228-230 defeat against South Korea in the semifinals. However, Avneet Kaur, Muskan Kirar, and Priya Gurjar bounced back to attain a bronze medal by defeating Turkey 232-231.

Speaking about the bronze medal win at the World Cup, Priya Gurjar said:

“We feel very good. It’s a proud moment for our country. The wind is very tricky so we tried to shoot our best. At the next stage we will try to go for gold.”

Archery World Cup: India vs France

The Indian men's compound team will take on France, World No 4, in the summit clash of the Archery World Cup 2022 Stage 2.

The Indian trio had also bagged gold medals in the men's compound team event at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 held in Antalya, Turkey, last month.

The Indian men's compound archery team humbled France in a thrilling final to win that gold medal. The men's team comprising of Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan, and Aman Saini recovered from a 56-57 and a 113-116 deficit to clinch a scintillating 232-230 win.

They were up against the French team of Jean Philippe Boulch, Quentin Baraer, and Adrien Gontier to win their first gold medal of the season.