KOCHI: Kerala claimed their first ever medal in a National Games archery event in style, as their men’s team in the Indian bow stamped a record-victory over Services in the bronze-medal playoff here on Saturday.
Shooting down a total score of 220 against Services’ 215, Kerala dwarfed the previous national record of 219, marking a bitter-sweet day for the state in archery.
The day began with jolts for Kerala at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium as they saw their mixed and women’s team bow out out of the losers’ final and quarterfinal rounds respectively. Further frustration was in store for the hosts, as their men’s team too lost to Manipur in a closely-contested semifinal.
Next up was the bronze medal playoff against the strong Services team. After shooting all of their 12 arrows in the first end (set), the Kerala trio of Ajith Babu, M Rajeev and Arun K V collected 53 points, one ahead of the Services.
In the second end, both the teams were tied 54-54 and the third end went the Services way (55-53).
In the last and deciding end, Kerala mounted a strong challenge to the Services. Four of their arrows pierced the bull’s-eye, while the remaining two struck the nine-point circle, presenting them a formidable score of 58 out of 60.
With most of their arrows avoiding the centre spot, the Services score added up to just 52, handing the Kerala team its first-ever National Games medal in archery.