City archer Ojas Deotale and his partner Jyothi Surekha prevailed over Chinese Taipei 159-154 as India grabbed the compound mixed team gold to open their account in the World Cup Stage 1 in Antalya (Turkey) on Saturday.
This was also India’s second-ever World Cup gold medal in the mixed compound event. Jyothi and veteran Abhishek Verma had clinched their maiden gold. in World Cup-3 in Paris 2022.
In the absence of India’s multiple World Cup winner Verma, who failed to make the cut from the national trials, the new-look Indian pair hardly looked short on experience and hit the centre an incredible 15 times from 16 arrows to defeat their 12th-seeded rivals in a lopsided final.
A second-year BPE student of Madhavrao Wankhede College of Physical Education, Ojas used to train under the guidance of Zishan. For the last five years he has been taking training at Pravin Sawant of Drushti Academy in Satata. For the second phase of the World Cup he will go to Colombia and then Germany and for the Asian championship at China.