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India’s World Championship triple silver medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam beat the Koreans twice in a controversial yet nerve-wracking final that went down to the last shot at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka on November 18. With a score of 146-145 against Korea’s Oh Yoohyun, Jyothi won the women’s compound individual gold.
Before the final win by the barest of margins, the 25-year-old defeated Kim Yunhee with a score of 148-143 in the semi-final. Yunhee is a former World Champion (2015 edition).
Jyothi went into the final set with a two-point lead. The Vijayawada-born archer shot one 10 and hit the 9-ring twice which was enough to win the match. However, the entire Korean contingent challenged the decision as they believed that Yoohyun had shot a 10 instead of the 9-ring. In the end, the result went in Jyothi’s favour and she won India’s first gold medal in the tournament as the shot had missed the perfect 10 by a few millimetres.
"The arrow was completely missing 10. All Korean coaches went to the target which is not allowed as per rules to put pressure on the judge. As per the World Archery rules, it is a one judge call and cannot be protested," said an Indian coach in Dhaka.
Earlier Jyothi had to settle for a silver medal in the mixed event after facing a loss against top seeded Koreans by just one point (154-155). She was paired with the 19-year-old Rishabh Yadav in the mixed pair event. She finished her campaign with two medals in her bag.
