World Archery Para Championship | Shyam Sundar and Jyoti Baliyan enter finals in mixed team compound event
Indian para archers Shyam Sundar and Jyoti Baliyan created history as they entered the final of the mixed team event at the Dubai 2022 World Archery Para Championships. For the first time, the Indian archers have made it to the finals, having played in three World Championships earlier.
On the second day of the tournament, Swami and Baliyan managed to beat the French team of Julie Rigault Chupin and Thierry Joussaume 151-145 in the semi-finals. They had started the day with a 151-138 win over Iraq, in the second round, before beating Italy by just one point 147-146 in the quarter-finals.
"It's a very proud feeling to become the first-ever para-archer from India to win a medal at the World Championships. The entire team has worked very hard and I am happy that we could execute our plans and follow the process here as well. Dubai has been a happy hunting ground for me, three medals in three championships so far. I hope to make it memorable with a perfect score on Friday," Baliyan said.
On the other hand, Swami said, "I enjoy playing the Mixed Team event more as the workload is divided. I know I have a backup if I make a mistake. As a pair, we have grown in many aspects."