Okazaki City , Fresh from his World Cup Final triumph, Dhiraj Bommadevara made a strong start to his Asian Games campaign, smashing the men’s recurve qualification record with 698 points to top the standings here on Saturday.
He shot 348 in his first 36 arrows and then dropped just 10 points in the final 36, adding 350 to finish on 698 out of a possible 720. His score bettered the previous Asian Games qualification record of 690 by Korean Lee Woo Seok, who slipped to fourth position with 687 points. Woojin, who was eyeing a third Asian Games gold, finished third among the Korean archers and missed the cut as only the top two from each country qualify for the 64-player elimination draw. In the women’s compound section, 21-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi gave India a major boost by topping the individual qualification with 705 points from a maximum 720. Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei finished a close second with 704 points, while Korea’s Park Jungyoon and Kang Yeonseo took the third and fourth spots.
Dhiraj, currently ranked fourth in the world, produced a superb second half to move clear at the top. Seok, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, could be a potential semifinal opponent if both archers progress that far. Triple Asian Games gold medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam was the second-best Indian, finishing 13th in the qualification standings to make the cut for elimination.
