Bangkok, March 25 (IANS) India opened their medal account at the Asia Cup Archery Stage I tournament with two bronze medals on Wednesday, courtesy of strong performances in the recurve women’s team and compound men’s team events here at the SAT Football Stadium.

The Indian women’s recurve trio of Ruma Biswas, Kirti, and Ridhi secured a convincing 5-1 win over Malaysia to finish on the podium. The team had earlier placed third in the qualification round with a combined score of 1915, led by Ruma’s 650, alongside Kirti’s 638 and Ridhi’s 627.

Their campaign included a 6-2 victory against Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals before they were outplayed 5-1 by the People’s Republic of China in the semi-finals.

India’s second bronze came through the compound men’s team, where Rajat Chauhan, Uday Kamboj, and Rishabh Yadav edged past Bhutan 234-232 in a tightly contested playoff. The trio had earlier beaten Chinese Taipei 238-228 in the quarter-finals but fell short by a single point (234-233) against Vietnam in the semi-finals.

The Indian men’s compound side had dominated the qualification stage, topping the standings with 2126 points. Rajat Chauhan led the field with a score of 712, followed closely by Rishabh Yadav (708) and Uday Kamboj (706), underlining India’s depth in the discipline.

Looking ahead, India remains firmly in medal contention across multiple categories. The mixed team competitions are scheduled for Thursday, with Indian pairs competing in both recurve and compound events.

The country has already assured itself of further podium finishes, with both the women’s compound team, featuring Chikitha Taniparthi, Raj Kaur, and Tejal Rajendra Salve, and the men’s recurve team of Devaang Gupta, Sukhchain Singh, and Juyel Sarkar advancing to their respective gold medal matches against Kazakhstan on Friday.

In individual events, Tejal Rajendra Salve will compete for bronze in the women’s compound category, while an all-Indian final in the men’s compound event is guaranteed, with Prathamesh Jawkar set to face Uday Kamboj. Rajat Chauhan also has a chance to add to the tally if he wins his bronze medal match.

Meanwhile, Ridhi Phor will vie for bronze in the women’s recurve event. However, India will not feature in the men’s recurve individual medal rounds.

A 16-member Indian contingent, comprising eight men and eight women, has been competing across recurve and compound disciplines at the ongoing continental meet, continuing to showcase the nation’s growing strength in archery on the international stage.

–IANS

vi/bsk/