NEW DELHI: In a remarkable display of skill and determination, young Indian archers Prathamesh Jawkar and Avneet Kaur made their mark on Thursday to enter the individual compound semi-finals at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai.
While the recurve archers faced disappointment in the team events, it was the compound archers who shone bright.
Nineteen-year-old Jawkar displayed nerves of steel as he eliminated the formidable eighth-seeded Korean archer with a narrow victory of 149-148 in the individual compound quarterfinals. Jawkar's stunning performance has earned him a place in the semifinals, where he will face off against Robin Jaatma of Estonia.
Not to be outdone, 18-year-old Avneet delivered an astonishing upset by defeating the top-seeded Korean archer, Oh Yoohyun, in a gripping shoot-off finish. With both archers tied at 142-142, Avneet demonstrated her composure and precision to secure victory in the pre-quarters.
In the quarterfinals, she continued her winning streak by defeating Dafne Quintero of Mexico with a score of 147-144. Avneet's impressive performances have set the stage for a semifinal clash against Ella Gibson of England.
Prathamesh and Avneet are now on the cusp of achieving their first individual World Cup medals. Their exceptional talent and resilience have propelled them to the semifinals, placing them just one win away from this remarkable milestone.
As the young Indian duo continues their incredible journey, they serve as a testament to the rising prowess of Indian archery on the global stage.
Earlier, it was a familiar script for Indian archers as they were eliminated by heavyweights Korea in the quarterfinals of the men's recurve team events.
The Indian trio of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Atanu Das and Neeraj Chauhan suffered a lopsided 0-6 (54-55, 56-57, 54-59) defeat at the hands of the top seeded Korean team of Lee Woo Seok, Kim Je Deok and Kim Woojin.
The eighth seeded Indian men's recurve team began its campaign with a hard-fought 5-3 (57-57, 56-58, 57-56, 58-51) win over Chinese Taipei.
The women's trio of Simranjeet Kaur, Avneet Kaur and Ankita Bhakat, which got the fourth seeding in team qualification, put up a sloppy show to make a first-round exit.
They lost out to lower-ranked Indonesia 1-5 (54-57, 57-57, 50-52) in a one-sided affair.
In the recurve team events, Indian hopes will now rest on the mixed pair duo of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Simranjeet Kaur.
By virtue of finishing fifth in qualifiers, they have got a bye into the second round (pre-quarterfinals) in the recurve mixed team draw of 32.
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