Indian archers sign off Archery World Cup campaign with silver, bronze medals

Berlin: Indian archers ended their campaign with a silver and bronze medal, both coming from compound section, at stage four of the Archery World Cup here on Saturday.

Indian women's compound team once again failed to cross the final hurdle, this time by a heartbreaking one point, to settle for a silver medal earlier in the day.

Eyeing a maiden gold at the World Cup circuit, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Muskan Kirar and Trisha Deb had a promising 59-57 lead but only to slip in the third end as the French trio snatched the lead before clinching it 229-228.

Jyothi later added a bronze in the compound mixed pair event with Abhishek Verma defeating the Turkish duo of Yesim Bostan and Demir Elmaagacli 156-153.

Jyothi and Verma thus won a medal in the mixed team event at each of the four World Cup stages in Shanghai, Antalya, Salt Lake and Berlin World Cups.

In the compound team final, five consecutive perfect 10s by Sophie Dodemont, Amelie Sancenot and Sandra Herve helped them level the scores 116-all in the second end.

Pressure got the better of the Indian team as they started off the third end with a poor six and then an eight, while the French trio maintained the momentum to make it 174-169.

Indians tried their best in the fourth end and shot a solid 59/60 but the five-point deficit was hard to overcome as the French trio emerged winners by one point.

Fifth-ranked India had ousted top-ranked Turkey 231-228, in the semifinals to make a second final this season, after the second stage in May.

At the Antalya leg of the World Cup, India team comprising Jyothi, Muskan and Divya Dhayal had lost to Chinese Taipei by three points.

In the compound mixed pair event, Turkey's Yesim Bostan and Demir Elmaagacli took a slender one-point lead after first end, but the Indian duo bounced back strongly with two perfect ends of 40/40 including five Xs (closest to the centre) and a 10 to open up a decisive four-point advantage.