PARIS: Indian recurve archer Pooja Jatyan has advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s open archery competition at the Paris Paralympics. The 27-year-old, a World Para Championship silver medallist, defeated Yagmur Sengul of Turkey in straight sets, winning 6-0.
Jatyan, who received a bye into the pre-quarters after finishing in the top 9 of the ranking round, will face Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist Wu Chunyan of China in the quarterfinals later today. Chunyan secured her place in the quarters by defeating Oyun-Erdene Buyanjargal of Mongolia in her pre-quarterfinal match.
In her match against Sengul, Pooja took the first set decisively, hitting three 9s in a row and scoring a total of 26 points, while Sengul managed only 22 points. This gave Jatyan a 2-0 lead. Despite facing some resistance in the third set, where Sengul scored two 9s and an 8, Pooja remained composed and edged out her opponent by one point to secure her victory.
Pooja Jatyan’s journey has been marked by significant challenges. In 1997, a high fever and a medical error led to polio in her left leg, altering her life path. Despite these obstacles, she embraced archery in her childhood and has achieved considerable success. In 2023, she won a silver medal in the Women’s Team event at the Asian Para Championship. This year, she secured a silver medal at the 8th Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament and claimed gold medals in both the Women’s Team and Mixed Team events at the Para Archery European Cup 2nd Leg.
In the recurve open category, archers shoot from a standing position at a distance of 70 meters at a 122cm target, with scores ranging from 10 points at the center to 1 point at the outer edge.