Compund archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam clinched their second gold medal on Wednesday at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, narrowly defeating their South Korean rivals by a one-point margin while dropping only one point themselves. With this win, India collected their 71st medal at the Asian Games, marking the highest tally in the nation’s history at the event.
This win sets the stage for Indian archers to claim a minimum of four medals during the ongoing Games. This achievement surpasses their previous best performance at Incheon in 2014 when they earned a gold in the men’s team compound event, along with a silver and a bronze.
In a nail-biting contest for the gold medal between the top two seeded pairs, the No. 1 Indian duo displayed exceptional precision, edging out So Chaewon and Joo Jaehoon with a final score of 159-158.
Jyothi and Ojas had a tough battle for the gold medal. They led narrowly after the first round, 40-39. They kept the lead in the second round, 80-79. But Ojas stumbled in the third round, and their opponents took the lead.
With the score deadlocked at 119-119, the match’s outcome hung in the balance. South Korea’s So stumbled, scoring a nine, which pushed India back into the lead. Despite South Korea delivering two consecutive flawless shots, India remained steadfast and closed the door on any potential comeback.
Earlier in the day, Jyothi and Ojas began with an impressive victory over the Malaysian duo of Binti Mat Salleh Fatin Nurfatehah and Bin Muzuki Mohd Juwaidi, securing a win with a score of 158-155. This triumph not only earned them a spot on the podium but also guaranteed them a medal.
As of now, India has won a total of 16 gold medals, 26 silver medals, and 29 bronze medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023.