Jyothi Surekha leads India to triple medal haul in Madrid

Vennam Jyothi Surekha starred for India at the Archery World Cup Stage IV in Madrid, winning silver in individual and team events and bronze in mixed team alongside Rishabh Yadav

Hyderabad: Vijayawada-based archer Vennam Jyothi Surekha starred in all three medals India won at the Archery World Cup Stage IV in Madrid on Saturday.

Surekha grabbed a silver medal in the individual competition after a 147-148 loss to Britain’s Ella Gibson in the final, while Parneet suffered a 143-146 defeat against Korea’s Han Seungyeon in the bronze medal match.

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Earlier, India opened its account with a silver in the women’s compound team event, but the result again spotlighted its struggles in crunch moments.

The top-seeded trio of Jyothi, Parneet Kaur, and 16-year-old debutant Prithika Pradeep, who led the qualification round with 2116 points, looked good for gold after taking a one-point lead (170-169) into the final end.

But when it mattered most, the Indian trio slipped to a 225-227 defeat against Chinese Taipei, which came up with an impressive 58. India, in contrast, managed just 55—undone by a costly 7 and signs of pressure that have become all too familiar.

The two teams were tied 57-all after the first end, before India edged ahead 58-56 in the second and led 115-113. A dropped 8 in the third end narrowed the gap to 170-169, but India still had the edge going into the final end—only to falter at the line.

Alongside Rishabh Yadav, Jyothi won a bronze medal in the mixed team event. The duo took down El Salvador’s Paola Corado and Douglas Vladimir Nolasco 156-153.