Kushal Dalal, Sahil Jadhav, and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru defeated China 238-237 in a thrilling men’s final held on Wednesday at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square. With this victory, India secured its third gold medal in the compound archery team event at the Asian Games.
India also won the gold medal in the mixed team event; the duo of Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav clinched the title. This victory also secured an Olympic quota for India in the mixed team compound event at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
The men’s final was a close contest right from the start. China made a strong opening with a score of 60 from six arrows, while India scored 58, trailing by two points in the second round. India responded with a perfect sequence in the second end, but China matched the performance to maintain its advantage. China held a 120-118 lead after two ends.
The Indian trio maintained the pressure in the third round as well, while China dropped a point. India’s excellent score narrowed the gap to a single point, leaving China leading 179-178 heading into the final round.
After this, India made a magnificent comeback. The Indian archers began the final round by shooting three consecutive 10s, overtaking China for the first time. China also attempted to get back into the contest by hitting three consecutive 10s, but the Indian team maintained the pressure and secured the gold medal by defeating China by a single point, finishing with a score of 238.
(DD News)
