The second stage of the 2023 Archery World Cup is currently taking place in Shanghai, China from May 16 to May 21. The first day of the event saw the qualification rounds for compound archers (both men and women) take place.
Both India's men's and women's teams have qualified for the next stages, however, they would have hoped for a somewhat better performance.
In particular, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, who was India's standout performer with two gold medals at the last stage in Turkey, would be disappointed with her performance.
Jyothi Surkekha Vennam unable to replicate Stage 1 heroics
Jyothi who had amassed 713 points in the last stage, could only put up a total of 693 points at the start of stage 2, which saw her finish outside the top five in sixth position.
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The women's compound archer qualification rounds were dominated by the South Korean contingent who were absent from stage 1, with veteran archers Oh Yoohyun and Song Yun Soo taking the top two spots and thus getting top seeding for the first round of the tournament.
Avneet Kaur and Aditi Swami finish outside top 10
India's other compound women archers Avneet Kaur and Aditi Swami finished in 12th and 16th positions respectively, and were overall India's best performers at the event after Jyothi.
Kaur will face Mexico's Dafne Quintero who finished ninth, while Swami will take on Estonia's Maris Testman who was 13th in the standings. Jyothi will clash with Estonian archer Meeri-Marita Paas who finished seventh. All three Indians have earned a bye to the second round.
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Indian men's team puts up an underwhelming performance
India's men's compound archer team qualified individually for the next round. But apart from Ojas Pravin Deotale who finished 17th in the standings, every other archer finished outside of the top 20 standings. As a result, the entire Indian contingent finished fifth.
Jyothi Surkekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale to team up again
Jyothi's and Ojas' top finishes in their respective events mean that the duo will once again represent India in the mixed-team event. The pair won the gold medal in stage 1. Ojas and Jyothi will open start with a bout with their Bangladesh rivals in the pre-quarters in a draw of 32.
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