New Delhi: India’s archers Jyoti Surekha Vennam and Ojas Praveen Deotale have created history by winning the gold medal in the compound mixed team event of archery at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The Indian duo edged out South Korea’s So Cheochan and Joo Jehoon by a narrow margin of 159-158 in a thrilling final on Wednesday. This is India’s 16th gold medal in the Asian Games, matching the record of gold medals won in any one edition of the Games. India had also won 16 gold medals in the previous Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.
The Indian pair displayed remarkable accuracy and consistency throughout the match, scoring 10 points in 14 out of 16 shots and leaving Korea behind. Both the archers had also performed brilliantly in the individual events, reaching the quarter-finals. In the final, they scored a total of 158 points, while the Korean archers could only manage 155 points. With this, India has achieved its best-ever performance in the Asian Games, surpassing the previous record of 70 medals.
Jyoti had missed gold in 2018
India’s star archer Jyoti has fulfilled her dream of winning a gold medal in the Asian Games. In 2018, she had missed the gold medal by a whisker, settling for a silver medal. She also won a bronze medal in 2014. Jyoti was flawless against Korea, missing the target only once and hitting all the other arrows at 10 points. Ojas also supported her well, hitting one target after another. The Indian fans are ecstatic with the 16th gold medal.
India is currently fourth in the medal table
With the gold medal in archery, India has improved its position in the medal table of the Asian Games. India is currently fourth with 64 medals, including 16 gold, 24 silver and 26 bronze medals. China is leading the table with 285 medals, followed by Japan with 128 medals and Korea with 137 medals. India has won medals in various sports, such as shooting, rowing, athletics, table tennis, skating, and boxing. India will be hoping to add more medals to its tally in the remaining days of the Games.
