Madrid, July 12 (IANS) The 17-year-old Prithika Pradeep announced herself on the senior international stage with a memorable two-medal haul, securing an individual bronze before playing a pivotal role in India’s silver-medal finish in the women’s compound team event at Stage 4 of the Archery World Cup in Madrid on Saturday.

Competing in her maiden World Cup podium event, Prithika produced a composed display in the women’s individual compound bronze-medal contest, defeating Turkiye’s Hazal Burun 145-142 to earn her first World Cup medal. The young Indian had earlier missed out on a place in the final after going down 144-142 to Malaysia’s Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh in a closely fought semifinal.

The result marked another significant milestone for Prithika, who had claimed silver at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka last year and continues to establish herself as one of India’s emerging compound archers.

Earlier in the day, Prithika joined experienced campaigner Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi as India finished runners-up in the women’s compound team competition. The Indian trio went down 232-228 to top-seeded Colombia, represented by Sara Lopez, Alejandra Usquiano, and Mariana Rodriguez, in the gold medal match.

Despite entering the tournament as the seventh seed after scoring 1024 in qualification, the Indian team produced an impressive run to the final, overcoming Denmark, hosts Spain, and third-seeded Republic of Korea before settling for silver against the dominant Colombians.

India narrowly missed adding another medal in the men’s compound team event. Top seeds Sahil Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru, and Kushal Dalal lost the bronze medal match to Germany by the slimmest of margins, 233-232, after earlier suffering a shoot-off defeat to Mexico in the semifinals. The mixed compound team also bowed out in the quarter-finals following another shoot-out loss to Mexico.

In the men’s individual compound competition, Rishabh Yadav emerged as India’s best performer by reaching the quarter-finals, while Sahil Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru, and Kushal Dalal exited in the third round.

India’s campaign in Madrid is not over yet, with two medal opportunities remaining in the recurve events on Sunday. Kirti Sharma has progressed to the women’s individual semi-finals, while she will also partner Dhiraj Bommadevara in the mixed team bronze medal match against Italy.

–IANS

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