Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod lead recurve qualification at National Archery Championships

Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod claimed the top spots in men’s and women’s recurve qualification on the opening day of the National Archery Championships at the Parade Ground in Shillong on Thursday.

In tough weather conditions, World Cup Finals gold medallist Dhiraj and Asian Games champion Kumkum displayed strong resolve to lead their respective fields. Dhiraj scored 680, comprising 24 Xs and 14 10s.

Kumkum recorded 677, consisting of 10 Xs and 26 10s, improving upon her previous career-best total of 671.

The fickle weather switched from sunny and warm to cloudy and windy before a bout of drizzle tested the archers thoroughly, and action was called off owing to bad light before the day’s schedule could be completed.

Men’s qualification results

Dhiraj reached Shillong only at 10 p.m. on Wednesday night but recovered quickly to score 343 in the first segment. A change in schedule forced an unusually long break of more than an hour before he returned to shoot 337 in the second segment.

He took the top spot by a slim margin of one point. Former World Youth Champion Parth Salunkhe registered his season’s best aggregate of 679. Arjun Khara of Odisha scored 674 with 15 Xs, while Devraj Mohapatra of Meghalaya shot 674 with 12 Xs.

Sukhchain Singh of SSCB scored 672, Atanu Das of PSPB recorded 669, Neeraj Chauhan of AIP shot 667, and Yashdeep Bhoge of RSPB finished with 664.

Women’s qualification results

Kumkum performed effortlessly to achieve a new high. Olympian and Asian Games women’s team gold medallist Ankita Bhakat was second with 662. Sangeeta of SSCB scored 660, Sharvari Shende of Maharashtra shot 657, and Gatha Khadake of Maharashtra also recorded 657. Seasoned Olympian Deepika Kumari placed 10th with 646.

Kumkum said she did not think too much about the conditions and tried to give her best.

Context and what happens next

World Archery, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the governing body of the sport and is composed of 156 national federations and other archery associations, recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Dhiraj said the fluctuating weather taught him a lot in one day, noting that one side of the ground is open while the other side has a huge mountain wall, making the wind difficult to guess.

He said he was happy to have tackled the tricky conditions well. The elimination rounds follow qualification. No date or venue for the next stage was given in the sources.

Sources

• Sportstar

• thehindu.com

• Photo: Astro37x, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)