Jyothi Surekha Vennam creates history; becomes first Indian woman compound archer to medal at World Cup final

Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam made history by becoming the first Indian woman compound archer to win a medal at the World Cup Final in Nanjing, China, securing bronze with a perfect performance against world No 2 Ella Gibson of Great Britain on Saturday.The 29-year-old Asian Games champion shot 15 perfect arrows to defeat Gibson 150-145 in the bronze medal match, marking her maiden podium finish in the tournament.In the eight-archer season finale, Jyothi began strongly with a 143-140 victory over American Alexis Ruiz in the quarterfinals.She faced a setback in the semifinals, narrowly losing to world No 1 Andrea Becerra of Mexico 143-145. Despite briefly leading 87-86 after the third end, Becerra's three 10s in the fourth end put her ahead 116-115, ultimately securing the final spot by taking the fifth end 29-28.The 2021 World Championship silver medallist rebounded impressively in the bronze medal match, scoring 15 consecutive 10s across five ends to outclass Gibson.This performance marked a significant improvement in Jyothi's World Cup Final journey, following early exits in her previous appearances at Tlaxcala (2022) and Hermosillo (2023).India's other qualifier in the women's compound section, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, exited in the opening round after a 142-145 loss to Mexico's Mariana Bernal.In the men's compound section, Rishabh Yadav represents India's sole hope, scheduled to face South Korea's Kim Jongho later in the day.No Indian archer qualified for the recurve section of the tournament.