Pravin Jadhav and Ankita Bhakat's gritty displays earned them their maiden titles in the men and women's individual recurve events respectively in the NTPC National archery championships at the Barabati Stadium here on Monday.
Armyman Jadhav, hailing from Maharashtra, defeated his fellow state-mate Satyam Patil 6-4 to bag the men's crown.
Jadhav overcame a tough challenge to beat Haryana's Deven in a shoot-off in the opening round and give a series of solid performances.
In the closely-fought final, Jadhav and Patil split points to be locked at 4-4. The Services athlete raised his game to win the fifth set and get past Patil, who stunned Olympian Atanu Das — who beat top-ranked Sukhmani Babrekar 6-4 in the quarterfinals — in the semifinals by hitting the bull's eye in a shoot-off following a 5-5 tie.
“I have done better shooting in the past. Today, I maintained my focus,” said the 24-year-old, an Asia Cup bronze-medallist.
After helping Jharkhand take silver medals in women and mixed team events, 20-year-old Kolkata girl Ankita, who upset World Cup and World championships medallist Deepika Kumari 6-4 in the quarterfinal, emerged as the national champion.
Ankita showcased her mental toughness as she got the better of Haryana opponents Preeti and Ridhi Phor in the semifinals and final through tie-breakers.
In the title clash, Ankita won the first set, shared the spoils in the next and bagged the third to secure a 3-1 lead.
However, the scoreline became 5-5 as Ridhi fought back with some accurate shots. Both scored nine apiece in the shoot-off, but Ankita hit closer to the centre to pocket the crown.
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