The Compound Archery Mixed team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma won the first-ever Archery medal for India at the World Games.
Compound Archery is not a part of Olympic programme as the recurve bow is the only Archery style that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes. The recurve bows are classic and simple, almost similar to the ancient bows. But compound bows are advanced and use mechanical aids, having features that reduce human errors.
As Compound Archery is not included in the Olympics, it is a part of the World Games. This international multi-sport event is meant for those disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. India has been participating in this World Games since its inception in 1981 and won four medals from the earlier editions.
In this year’s event, currently being held at Birmingham in USA, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma won the country’s first-ever Archery medal at the World Games, clinching bronze in the Compound Archery Mixed Team. They defeated Andrea Becerra and Miguel Becerra of Mexico 157-156 to win the bronze in the play-off. Jyothi and Abhishek were top seeds after qualification rounds, but lost in the semifinal against Colombia, the eventual gold medallist.
In the Compound Archery Individual event, Abhishek Verma came close to win a medal after he had stormed into the semifinals by stunning World No 1 Mike Schloesser in the quarterfinal. But he finished a heartbreaking fourth after he lost both the semifinals and the bronze-medal play off.
