World Archery Para Series: India secure multiple finals and assure medals in Ahmedabad

India secured multiple final berths and assured a string of medals across recurve, compound and W1 events at the World Archery Para Series Stage III. Sheetal Devi, Harvinder Singh, Bhawna, Swati Chaudhary and others advanced

Ahmedabad: India sealed multiple finals assuring a string of medals across recurve, compound and W1 events to enjoy a productive outing on the third day of the World Archery Para Series (Stage III) here on Monday.

In the visually impaired 1 category, Tanvi Pravin Ingale settled for a silver medal after losing 4-6 to Cyprus’ Christos Misos in the final.

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Yugal Garg defeated compatriot Pawan Kumar to win a bronze medal in the category.

Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi defeated China’s Xia Lei and Zhu Wenjian 5-1 to enter the final of the para recurve men’s team event and confirm another medal for India.

The Indian duo will face third-seeded Slovakia in the gold medal clash.

India also booked a place in the final of the para recurve women’s team event after Bhawna and Pooja defeated their Iranian counterparts 6-2. They will face China in the gold medal match.

India confirmed a third medal in the recurve mixed team event when Harvinder and Bhawna defeated Indonesia’s pairing 6-0 in straight sets to book their place in the final. The Indian duo will face China in the gold medal clash.

The compound men’s team of Shyam Sunder Swami and Toman Kumar also assured India another medal by advancing to the final.

Swami and Toman beat China’s Bao Yirui and Feng Yue 154-153 and will face seventh-seeded Iraq in the gold medal match.

The compound women’s team of Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag narrowly missed out on a place in the final after losing to Kazakhstan 151-152.

They will now face China in the bronze medal match.

India also lost a closely fought compound mixed team shoot-off against China after the two sides were locked at 156-156.

The shoot-off was tied 20-20, with China advancing after winning on the basis of the arrow being closer to the centre.

In the W1 mixed team (recurve/compound) event, Swati Chaudhary and Adil Mohamed Nazir Ansari got the better of China’s Jin Huan and Yang Xupeng 6-2 to enter the final and confirm another medal for India.

The Indian pair will face China in the gold medal clash.

In the W1 men’s team event, India finished third among the three competing teams. China and Czechia will fight for the gold medal.

Earlier in the day the reigning world champion Sheetal Devi confirmed a medal for India by storming into the women’s compound individual final.

In an all-Indian semifinal, the armless archer from Jammu defeated Sarita 145-143 to book her place in the gold medal clash, where she will face Aizada Seidan of Kazakhstan.

Sarita will also have another opportunity to add to India’s medal tally when she will take on Wang Huiting of China in the bronze medal match.

The women’s compound event thus gave India one confirmed medal and another still in the hunt, with world number one Sheetal eyeing the top podium finish.

In the compound men’s section, reigning world champion and world number one Toman Kumar lost to top seed Ken Swagumilang of Indonesia 146-144 in the semifinal and will fight for the bronze medal against Abbas Kahdim of Iraq.

Earlier, Swagumilang ended the campaign of Gurwinder Singh in the quarterfinals, with the Indian losing 141-143.

India’s campaign ended in the W1 men’s section after fifth seed Adil Mohamed Nazir Ansari and ninth seed Nurudin lost their respective quarterfinal matches.

Adil lost to Czechia’s multiple Paralympics-medallist David Drahoninsky 5-6 (8-10) in the shoot-off, while Nurudin went down 2-6 to top seed Yang Xupeng of China.

The women, on the other hand, kept India’s hopes alive in the W1 women’s section, with second-seeded Indian Swati Chaudhary set to fight for the bronze medal.

Swati lost to sixth seed Liu Jing of China 1-7.

Athletes classified as W1 usually have an impairment in the top and bottom halves of their bodies, torso and at least three limbs and some W1 athletes have an assistant to help them load the bow.