Following their gold medal win in the mixed team compound archery, India archers Jyothi Surekha and Ojas Pravin Deotale expressed happiness with their win, saying that the weather conditions were favourable for the team and they tackled winds really well.
India’s Jyothi Vennam Surekha and Pravin Ojas Deotale clinched gold in the mixed team compound archery event after winning a final match against South Korea’s Chaewon So and Jaehoon Joo at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday.
“We had no hopes, but we followed our process as planned. Senior players used to tell me that there was nothing for us to lose in our first Asian Games, but rather everything to gain. The weather condition was favourable. It was a bit cloudy and in between wind was there but we tackled it. Overall it was very nice,” said Ojas to ANI.
Ojas said that he has a good chemistry and bonding with Jyoti, a senior of his. “We have a good chemistry. Didi is quiet but I am jolly. We understand and respect each other’s nature. It has made our bonding better and perhaps helped us in winning the medal,” added the archer. Ojas said that the gold medal will serve as a motivation to do well in future for the country.
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Jyothi also told ANI, “This feeling (of winning and standing at the podium) is as such that it can only be felt but cannot be expressed. Every time we win gold and the national anthem is played we feel really good… From this year only I got the chance to play mixed team with Ojas. He came to the senior team this year only. And whenever we played we performed well. As you can see now also we performed well… There is a confidence boost when you win a medal. Tomorrow also we have team events, in individuals, we are in finals. This experience will come in use.”
Jyothi-Pravin defeated the South Korean pair in a close encounter by one point 159-158. This is the first gold for Archery in the ongoing Asian Games. Now, India has a total of 73 medals in the Asian Games Hangzhou, with 16 gold, 26 silver and 31 bronze medals.
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