Indian Jyothi Surekha Veenam (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)
India opened its medal tally in the fourth round of the Archery World Cup with a silver medal after the women’s composite team lost 228-232 to Colombia in the final on Saturday.The Indian trio of Jyothi Surekha Venam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikita Taniparthi struggled to maintain consistency, while Colombia produced a calm performance to snatch the title.
India, ranked world No. 3 in the event and winners of the first stage of the season-opening World Cup in Mexico, were unable to match Colombia’s precision in the title clash. Teenager Prithika Pradeep was India’s top performer, firing six perfect shots from her scores, including two flawless overs. However, experienced archer Jyothi Surekha Venam had a bad day, managing only three scores from her eight arrows, hurting India’s chances.Colombia’s Alejandra Osciano proved to be the difference, scoring eight consecutive seconds to lead her team to victory.
Former world champion Sara Lopez was not at her best, but Osciano’s consistency kept Colombia in control throughout the match.India still has chances to increase its medal tally later in the tournament. Prithika has reached the women’s singles compound semi-final and is one win away from another medal.The recurring team is also still in contention. Teenager Kirti Sharma, who made her World Cup debut last month in Antalya, has advanced to the women’s singles semi-final and will also team up with India’s top seed Dheeraj Bommadevara in a mixed team bronze medal playoff, giving her a chance to finish the tournament with two medals.