Archery: Gold eludes India yet again at world c'ships, three silvers claimed
Yankton (USA) (PTI): Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost a nerve-wracking final to Colombian world number three Sara Lopez to settle for a silver in the compound women's individual section at the World Championships here.
In the individual men's compound event, three-time World Cup gold medallist Abhishek Verma made a quarterfinal exit, going down to world number one Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands by just one point (147-148) in a tight contest here on Saturday.
Overall, India's compound archers concluded their campaign with three silver medals. Ankita Bhakat is the lone archer in fray in the recurve competition and she will compete in her last-eight match later on Sunday.
Jyothi was a member of the Indian women's and mixed pair compound archery teams who signed off with silver medals after lop-sided losses to Colombia on Friday.
India were in pursuit of their first gold medal at the world event. For a country that doesn't have a gold yet, India have climbed the most podiums at the event (11), appearing in nine finals and leaving with silver each time.
Jyothi, who won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Den Bosch, Netherlands, was at her best and shot a perfect final end but the five-time World Cup champion Sara proved superior and clinched it by two points (146-144) in the individual event.
The Indian was sensational, starting the day with her first-ever 150 perfect 10s in each of her 15 arrows across five ends en route to defeating the reigning under-21 world champion Amanda Mlinaric of Croatia by six points in quarters.
"First of all, thank you so much. It's been a great day today because I've shot my first 150 in an international tournament and I'm super happy," Jyothi said.
She went on to defeat Andrea Becerra of Mexico 148-146 in the semifinals but the Colombian proved too tough for her.
For Jyothi, this was her second silver medal at the World Championships as she became the only Indian archer to have four podium finishes at the biennial showpiece.
Jyothi had bagged a silver (Mexico 2017) and a bronze (Den Bosch 2019) in the team events in previous World Championships.
"I'm happy because last time I won the bronze and this time I won the silver," the 25-year-old said.
"I just thought I should repeat my process and keep faith me, so I did just that."
Jyothi dished out a consistent performance shooting 28, 29 and 29 in her first three ends, but the Colombian opened up a two-point lead at the halfway mark, drilling in seven perfect 10s with two X (closest to the centre) from nine arrows.
The Indian shot three 10s from three arrows in the final end but that was not enough as Sara wrapped up the issue by two points.
Jyothi, however, upgraded her bronze medal effort she had won two years ago, as the Andhra archer concluded her campaign with three silver medals.
Asked if she regretted missing out on the gold, she said: "Not 100 per cent but it's okay, one has to win and one has to lose."
Her next target is the Asian Championships slated in Dhaka from November 13-19.
"Next, we have the Asian Championships lined up in November so currently that is my next goal," she signed off.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
