Archery World Games 2022: Ace Compound archer Abhishek Verma pulls off major upset, stuns World No 1 Mike Schloesser to storm into semis

For ace Indian compound archer Abhishek Verma, it has become a rare feat to go medal-less in an archery tournament. Indian compound archers have scrapped their underdog tag to produce back-to-back superlative performances on the biggest stages in the sport.

Earlier, Abhishek Verma stunned World No. 1 Dutch archer Mike Schloesser to advance through to the men's individual compound archery semifinals at the ongoing 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

Speaking after the win, Abhishek Verma told World Archery:

“Mike is an extraordinary archer, you can see that. Nobody knew who would win. I just focused myself and shot. I am not new. I have a good record and number of medals [and] that experience helped me to defeat him.”

Road to the semifinals:

Abhishek qualified in ninth place after scoring 707 points, finishing behind top seed Schloesser.

The 33-year-old Indian archer defeated Ben Thompson of the US in the first round to set up a second-round clash against Estonian Robin Jaatma. Verma targeted two bullseyes and a 10 in the final end to attain a one-point 149-148 win in the first round.

However, in a thrilling quarterfinals contest, both Abhishek and Schloesser were tied at 149-149, before forcing the match into a one-arrow shootoff. Both archers shot 10s in the tiebreak, where Verma was announced the winner as his arrow was the closest to the center.

Abhishek will take on fourth-seeded French archer Jean Philippe Boulch in the semifinals. Earlier, Boulch defeated India’s Aman Saini in the second round.

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Abhishek Verma's latest top-notch performances

Abhishek Verma has had an incredible 2022 so far, winning several gold medals in major archery tournaments.

Verma and top Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam bagged the compound mixed team gold medal at the World Cup Stage 3 in Paris on June 25.

The Indian duo defeated the experienced French pair of Sophie Dodemont and Jean Philippe Boulch 152-149 in the summit clash to fetch India's first-ever World Cup gold in the compound mixed team event. This was also the nation's first medal at the ongoing archery event.

India bagged two consecutive gold medals against their French opponents. The men's team comprising Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan, and Aman Saini finished atop the podium in the men's compound team event at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 held in Antalya, Turkey in April.

Team India humbled France in a thrilling final to win that gold medal. The Indian trio 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.

The Indian men's compound archery team once again humbled World No. 4 France in the finals to win the gold medal at the Archery World Cup 2022 Stage 2 in Gwangju, South Korea, on May 21.

The Indian trio comprised of Abhishek Verma, Aman Saini, and Rajat Chauhan amassed 232-230 points against French opponents Adrien Gontier, Jean Philippe Boulch and Quentin Baraer to clinch a gold medal at the World Cup Stage 2.