Archery fans witnessed some exciting action at the GT Open 2024 (Indoor Archery World Series), held from November 15th to 17th in Strassen, Luxembourg.
While the Indian contingent was small, the compound archers lived up to expectations, winning two medals and giving everyone a reason to rejoice.
Abhishek and Jyothi Deliver India’s Only Success at GT Open
For Abhishek and Jyothi, it was business as usual, as they grabbed the silver and gold medals, respectively.
Abhishek Verma showcased sheer brilliance in the qualification round, achieving a flawless 600/600 score. He cruised through the subsequent rounds with ease, building momentum for what seemed like a golden finish. However, archery is a sport full of unpredictability.
In the final showdown, Abhishek faced none other than “Mr. Perfect” Mike Schloesser (NED), setting the stage for a thrilling contest. Both archers were at their best, ending the match in a deadlock at 150-150.
The shoot-off was equally intense, with both hitting perfect 10s. But in a heartbreaking twist, Abhishek narrowly missed out on gold as his arrow landed just centimetres farther from the bullseye than Schloesser’s.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam closed the tournament in spectacular fashion, clinching the well-deserved gold medal.
Seeded 5th from the qualification, both her quarterfinal (against Lisell Jaatma (EST), seed 4) and semifinal (Elisa Roner (ITA), seed 1) matches went into intense shoot-offs.
However, Jyothi’s composure under pressure allowed her to secure those crucial wins. In the finals, she continued her dominant form, edging out Sarah Prieels (BEL) with a 147-145 victory to seal her place at the top of the podium.
Due to their remarkable outing in the event, Abhishek Verma moved up one place to WR8, adding 17 points from this event. Jyothi, meanwhile, still remains at WR4, collecting 20 points from here.
A Recap of Other Archers’ Performances
Aditya Wadhwa and Jashan Deep finished 11th and 12th in the qualification round of Recurve Men’s. However, both lost in R1 against lower-ranked archers.
In the compound men’s field, Rishabh Yadav, Simranjot Singh, Uday Kamboj, and Nikhil Pahwa finished 11th, 23rd, 24th, and 60th in the qualification round.
While Simranjot and Uday lost in R1, Rishabh Yadav bowed out in R2.
