Indian women’s compound team wins historic gold medal

The Indian women’s compound team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur and Aditi Gopichand Swami made history when they helped India record a convincing 235-229 victory over top-ranked Mexico in the compound women’s team final and bagged the gold medal at the World Archery Championships 2023 in Berlin on Friday. Under the calming influence of Italian foreign coach Sergio Pagni, a two-time Worlds team gold winner, the second-placed Indian side, featuring an ideal mix of youth and experience, shot consistently to win all four ends (59-57, 59-58, 59-57, 58-57) and secure the title. The Indians maintained their composure to take a two-point lead in the opening end and gradually increased it to approach the final end with a cushion of five points, winning the match comfortably by six points. Jyothi, Aditi, and Parneet scored 19 10s, while their rivals, Dafne Quintero, Ana Sofia Hernandez Jeon, and Andrea Becerra, could manage 14. “We were confident of winning this match. We just focused on the process,” said 17-year-old Aditi, the current under-18 World individual and team champion. “Despite the noise from the stands, we did not get distracted and focused on our shooting,” said 18-year-old Parneet, a 2021 World Under-18 and a 2023 World Under-21 team champion. “We are delighted to win the country’s first ever gold. We want to win many more gold medals,” said 27-year-old Jyothi Surekha. Jyothi had claimed three silver medals (women’s individual and team events and mixed team) in the previous edition in Yankton in 2021, two bronze (women’s team and individual) in Den Bosch in 2019, and a silver (women’s team) in Mexico City in 2017. After receiving a first-round bye, India beat Turkey, Chinese Taipei, and Colombia to book a berth in the final. It was India’s first-ever gold at the archery world championships in any category. In the gold medal final, the Indian three defeated the Mexican combination of Dafne Quintero, Ana Sofa Hernandez Jeon, and Andrea Becerra 235-229.