Asian Games 2018: Koreans compound India’s agony in archery

Unfortunately, the archer from Rajasthan fell short by millimeters. He registered a 10 for his effort, but failed to hit the bulls-eye. This proved to be decisive as India, despite finishing 29-29 in the shoot-off, were adjudged second best. Korea edged them by the faintest of margins, as they had more efforts hitting the bulls-eye.

Both Indian men and women archery teams settle for silver after dramatic final

Chauhan was gutted. He loves performing on the big stage. Exactly four years ago, he and Verma teamed up with Sandeep Kumar to clinch gold at Incheon against the formidable Koreans. Even on Tuesday, it was definitely not pressure. Instead, Chauhan, by his own admission, points to “hard luck.” “We played really well, and were enjoying our game. We had taken the early lead, and were under no pressure whatsoever. Had I been under pressure, I would not have scored 10 in my final shot. Just look at the final scoreline (229-229 after four sets and 29-29 after shoot-off). It shows how close it was,” he said.

India got off to a rollicking start to collect 60 points and earn a 4-point lead after the first end. Korea fought back to restore parity in proceedings at 114-114, before India pulled ahead once again. The duel had all the ingredients of a perfect potboiler, with six archers at the peak of their powers not willing to give an inch. The final also had its fair share of drama, which came in the fourth end.

Korean shots upgraded

Silver medallists Team India pose with their medals. (Source: Reuters)

India, led brilliantly by a brace of 10-pointers from Verma, looked poised to win the gold outright. However, during target inspection, the judges upgraded two Korean shots, one from 8 to 9, and the other from 9 to 10. The ruling created a bit of confusion in the Indian ranks. It effectively tied the scores at 229-229, and took the final to a shoot-off.

“The early lead did not matter, as the judges changed some of their scores in the fourth end, which proved to be decisive. At first, we thought they had shot an 8 and 9 respectively. But when the judges later went for the target supervision, they revised the scores. These are small things that went against us today,” was coach Lokesh Chand’s assessment of the drama that unfolded at the business end.

The women’s compound team – comprising Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Muskan Kirar and Madhumita Kumari – had earlier fallen short against the Koreans 228-231 in their final, despite taking an early lead there as well.

Despite the narrow and excruciating loss in the summit clash, the compound archers would be mighty proud at bagging silver in Jakarta. They put up a stellar show in this tournament, overwhelming some of the other top sides such as Philippines and Chinese Taipei with ease.

Chand looked at the positives. “I am proud at what they have achieved, especially after the early exit of our recurve archers. We came really close to beating a powerhouse like South Korea and that speaks a lot about these guys. It’s not easy competing against them. All other teams have struggled against them, lekin inhone jazba dikhaya Korea ke saamne,” Chand explained.

With a silver medal in their kits, the compound archers and their support staff have a couple of days off. They board the flight back to Delhi on Thursday. This rare free time would give them ample time for some sight-seeing in and around Jakarta, and also savour some Indian food. “The food here at the Games village is not great. It’s been more than two weeks since I’ve had a proper Indian meal. I am planning to have dinner at an Indian restaurant in the city tonight,” Chauhan chortled.