Antalya, April 24 (Agency) Recurve mixed team of Riddhi and Tarundeep Rai clinched gold as India finished its campaign with two gold medals at the Archery World Cup Stage I here on Sunday. In a closely contested gold medal match, India defeated Great Britain in a shoot-off 18-17 after the scores were tied 4-4 at the end of the fourth set. Young Riddhi and experienced Rai competed together for the first time.
After the win, Rai said: “This was the first time we have been paired together, she’s just 17 years old and has a bright future. It’s been a great experience with her and I wish every time we shoot, the Indian team will win gold. Winning a World Cup title is a kind of milestone and this experience will really help us to win a medal in the Asian Games.” Riddhi added, “It’s not even the first time I’m playing in a final venue, I’m playing my first World Cup. I was very excited to play here at the final venue and we can say that this was my best performance ever in a senior tournament.”
India received a first round bye. The team started its campaign in second round against Ukraine and registered a convincing 6-2 win. The dominating performance continued in the quarterfinal as India trounced Poland 5-1 before ousting Spain 5-3 in the semifinal. Earlier on Saturday, men’s compound team of Abhishek Verma, Aman Saini and Rajat Chauhan defeated France 232-230 in a thrilling encounter to win gold medal. The mixed compound team of Abhishek and Muskan Kirar, however, narrowly missed out on bronze medal after losing 156-157 to Croatia.