Archery WC: Atanu, Deepika enter mixed final together, assure medal for India

World number three Deepika is also in the hunt for a second medal, having advanced to the individual semi-final for the second successive time this year.

This will be their first mixed pair final together as they gear up for the Tokyo Olympics in less than a month.

The Indian recurve mixed team, consisting of the husband-wife pair of Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari, booked a berth in the final to ensure a medal in the Archery World Cup Stage-3 here on Thursday.

READ: Dola Banerjee: Hard to believe Indian women's team did not make Tokyo Olympics cut

The Olympic-bound Atanu and Deepika, who got a first round bye, defeated Great Britain’s Bryony Pitman and James Woodgate 6-0 and Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison 6-0 to reach the semifinals.

In the last-four, Atanu and Deepika edged past Inse de Valesco and Daniel Castro of Spain 5-3. India will meet the Netherlands in the final.

The compound mixed team, comprising Abhishek Verma and V. Jyothi Surekha, lost to Elizaveta Knyazeva and Anton Bulaev of Russia 155-154 in the second round.

Verma makes it to semifinals

Abhishek Verma was the lone Indian compound archer to make it to the semifinals, in the men’s individual event.

Verma beat Matthew Wong of Great Britain 147-134, Sergio Pagni of Italy 148-145, Jean Pizarro of Puerto Rico 148-143 and Martin Laursen of Denmark 146-146 (tie-breaker 10-9) to reach the last four.

Aman Saini and Rajat Chauhan exited in third and first rounds respectively.

Jyothi lost in the quarterfinals to Andrea Becerra of Mexico 143-147 while Saanchi Dhalla, who beat Pragati in the first round, lost in the second round among women compound archers. Akshita crashed out in the opening round.