Lagatar24 desk
Paris, June 25: Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam defeated their seasoned French opponents at the Stage 3 edition on Saturday, giving India its first compound mixed team archery World Cup title.
With a strong start, the Indians overcame late opposition from the French combination of Olympic medalist Sophie Dodemont, 48, and Jean Boulch, to win 152-149, giving India its first-ever World Cup victory in the compound mixed team event.
With the win, Indian archers also secured a second medal in the women’s recurve team competition, where Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Simranjeet Kaur will compete on Sunday for the gold.
The world No. 3 is making a comeback after more than seven months when she competes against French veteran Sophie in the solo semifinal later today, Jyothi, who was unable to compete in the Asian Games trial, is also vying for another medal.
Sophie, who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, shifted to the compound discipline after being rejected from the 2012 London Olympics team.
The third-seeded Indians got out to a fast start, scoring four 10s, including two Xs, to sprint to a three-point lead and put the French pair under immediate pressure.
As the French pair cut the lead to one point in the second end, the Indians only achieved one ten.
The third end was tied, and in the fourth end, which decided the match, Abhishek and Jyothi maintained their composure to defeat their rivals by two points and win the championship.
Although Abhishek and Jyothi, the most successful compound couple from India, have won a few World Cup bronze medals, their best finish was silver in the World Cup Final at Yankton last year.
