India's Archery Team Falls Short Against Colombia in World Cup Final

Indian Archers Settle for Silver in World Cup Showdown

The Indian archery team, featuring Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep, and Chikitha Taniparthi, faced challenges in maintaining their performance during the women's compound team final, ultimately losing 228-232 to a strong Colombian team. This result earned them a silver medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 4 held on Saturday.

This silver medal marks India's first achievement in the season-ending tournament, with hopes of increasing their medal count later in the day.

Young talent Prithika has progressed to the women's compound individual semifinal and requires just one more victory to secure a double.

India is also vying for two additional medals in the recurve category, with another promising teenager, Kirti Sharma, who made her World Cup debut last month in Antalya, aiming for a double as well.

Kirti will team up with India’s top archer Dhiraj Bommadevara in the recurve mixed team bronze-medal playoff and needs one more win to add to her medal tally, having already reached the women's individual semifinal.

Ranked third in the women's compound team event, India, which previously clinched gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Puebla, Mexico, in April, struggled to challenge the 14th-ranked Colombian team, who showcased a dominant performance to secure the title.

Seventeen-year-old Prithika stood out for India, scoring six 10s, including two perfect rounds.

However, veteran Jyothi's performance was disappointing, as she only managed three 10s out of eight arrows, contributing to India's inability to mount a serious challenge.

On the Colombian side, Alejandra Usquiano delivered an impeccable performance, hitting eight consecutive 10s, which proved crucial for her team's success.

Even World No. 7 and former champion Sara Lopez had an inconsistent outing, but Usquiano's excellence kept Colombia firmly in control.

India started slowly, scoring 55 in the first end, while Colombia surged ahead with 57, largely due to Alejandra's perfect shooting.

The World No. 4 set the pace with effortless 10s, establishing an early lead for her team.

In the final round, India needed three 10s to tie the score. Jyothi and Prithika delivered, but Chikitha faltered with an eight, leaving India trailing by two points.

Colombia raised their game in the second end, achieving a perfect score of 60 as Alejandra continued her streak of 10s, with Mariana Rodriguez and Sara also finding their rhythm.

India, on the other hand, fell short, scoring 58 and trailing further behind at 113-117 at the halfway mark.

In the third end, India responded well, with only Jyothi scoring a nine. They managed five consecutive 10s to post 59, while Colombia scored 57, allowing India to narrow the gap to two points at 172-174.

However, India struggled again in the crucial fourth end under pressure. The rookie duo of Prithika and Chikitha scored 10s, but Jyothi continued to miss the mark.

In a bid for a perfect finish to force a shootoff, India could only manage 56, while Colombia scored 58.