Jyothi Surekha Vennam makes history with bronze at Archery World Cup final

On Saturday, October 18, Jyothi Surekha Vennam became the first Indian woman compound archer to secure a medal at the World Cup Final, clinching the bronze with a stellar performance. The Asian Games champion delivered a flawless display, shooting 15 perfect arrows to defeat world No. 2 Ella Gibson of Great Britain 150-145, marking her maiden podium finish in the tournament.

Quarterfinal and semifinal performances

In the eight-archer World Cup season finale, the 29-year-old Indian started strongly with a 143-140 victory over Alexis Ruiz of the USA in the quarterfinals. However, Jyothi faced a narrow defeat in the semifinals against world No. 1 Andrea Becerra of Mexico, losing 143-145. Jyothi briefly led 87-86 after the third end, but Becerra took the lead with three 10s in the fourth end (116-115) and sealed the win in the fifth end 29-28, narrowly preventing Jyothi from reaching the final.

Dominant bronze medal match

The 2021 World Championship silver medallist showcased her resilience in the bronze medal match, scoring 15 consecutive 10s across five ends to overpower Gibson and conclude her campaign triumphantly. “This was Jyothi’s third appearance at the World Cup Final, having earlier competed at the Tlaxcala (2022) and Hermosillo (2023) editions, where she had exited in the opening round,” highlighting her significant progress this year.

In the women’s compound section, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, another Indian qualifier, suffered an opening-round exit, losing 142-145 to Mariana Bernal of Mexico. In the men’s compound section, Rishabh Yadav remains India’s sole representative and is set to compete against South Korea’s Kim Jongho later in the day. No Indian archers qualified for the recurve section of the tournament.