Indian archers beat France’s men to take gold in the Archery World Cup

India’s men’s compound archery team came from behind to win gold in Gwangju, South Korea, on Saturday, beating France by two points in a tense finish.

The fourth-seeded men’s team, which included Abhishek Verma, Aman Saini, and Rajat Chauhan, fell behind in both ends of a rematch of the Stage 1 final.

However, the French trio of Adrien Gontier, Jean Philippe Boulch, and Qentin Baraer won the World Cup Stage 2 gold medal with an immaculate finish in the third end, winning by a score of 232-230.

The same Indian trio defeated France by one point in the World Cup final in Antalya in April.

In the mixed team event, star Indian compound archer Verma and teammate Avneet Kaur defeated Turkey’s Amircan Haney and Ayse Bera Suzer by a score of 156-155, earning a second medal for India.

For Kaur, this was her second bronze medal, having previously won a team bronze in the women’s event.

After a 39-all start, the sixth-seeded Indian duo fell behind by two points in the second half (77-79) as their fourth-seeded opponents hit four 10s, including three Xs (closer to the centre).

In the third end, Verma and Kaur cut the deficit to one point, shooting 39/40, and finished the match in spectacular fashion, shooting four 10s and one X in the final end.

WC Archery Bronze medalists: Compound mixed pair

Following their semi-final exit, India’s mixed compound team will compete for a bronze medal, while the recurve team suffered yet another embarrassing performance at the World Cup (Stage Two) in Gwangju, South Korea on Friday.

Abhishek Verma and Avneet Kaur beat Denmark (157-155), Mexico (156-153) and Estonia (156-158) in the semi-finals before losing to 10th seed Estonia (156-158) in the bronze medal round.