Archery World Cup: With a chance to win qualifying spots to the World Cup final in Mexico in September this year available, the Indian archery team will go into the Archery World Cup 2023 stage 2 in Shanghai, China starting on Tuesday, with high hopes following recent good performances.
The Shanghai event will include competitions for both compound and recurve archers. Archers that win the individual events at Shanghai will automatically qualify for the Archery World Cup final to be held in Hermosillo, Mexico in September this year.
The Indian challenge will be led by two-time Olympian Atanu Das in the men's recurve section and world championships silver medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam in the compound women's section at the Archery World Cup 2023 stage 2 scheduled from May 16 to 21.
India are fielding a 16-member team -- eight men and eight women -- for the second archery World Cup of the season.
Besides Atanu Das, the Indian team's hope will also rest on veteran Olympian Tarundeep Rai, who will also be in action.
Besides Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai, the Indian recurve team will also include Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan.
The trio of Atanu Das, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Tarundeep Rai clinched a silver in the men's recurve team event during Archery World Cup stage 1 in Antalya, Turkey in April.
Meanwhile, the women's recurve team will include Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat, Aditi Jaiswal and Simranjeet Kaur.
In compound archery, Jyothi Surekha Vennam will be India's top medal prospect in the women's section. In the Antalya leg, the 26-year-old equalled the world record score (713 points from a maximum possible 720) in the women's compound event qualification round.
She did one better by clinching a gold medal in the women's individual compound as well as the mixed team event in World Cup stage 1.
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The Indian archers finished the Antalya leg with four medals -- two gold, one silver and one bronze -- and will look to improve upon the haul at Shanghai.