Harvinder Singh (Photo World Archery)
A brutal day of eliminations at the World Archery Para Championships in Gwangju set six gold medal finals for exhilarating showdowns in 5.18 Democracy Square.
An early shock came with the loss of world number one and Paralympic Champion Harvinder Singh from the recurve men’s competition. India’s brightest individual hope was unable to start his last-32 match due to a worsening case of flu.
The recurve men’s final will see seventh seed Stefano Travisani face neutral athlete Anton Ziapaev for gold, after a morning session marked by heavy rain.
“The weather and field conditions were perhaps the most difficult I’ve ever faced, but I tried to stay focused on my technique and not let myself be influenced too much,” said the Italian. “So I’m doubly satisfied.”
“I will continue to believe in myself, arrow after arrow. No secret. Just determination and trying until the very end.”
Travisani will have a double shift on Sunday, also competing for mixed team gold with Elisabetta Mijno. His teammate will shoot for individual bronze after losing her semifinal to Gao Zihan.
The recurve women’s final will be an all-Chinese clash between this year’s Asian Para Champion Gao and three-time world champion Wu Chunyan.
In compound men, three Indian athletes reached the semifinals, with Paris 2024 runner-up Rakesh Kumar set to meet international newcomer Toman Kumar in Saturday’s final.
The compound women’s event followed the formbook, producing a thriller between top seeds Oznur Cure Girdi and India’s Sheetal Devi – the ‘armless archer’ competing at the very highest level. It is a re-run of Pilsen 2023, where Girdi edged Devi, 140-138.
The reigning World and Paralympic Champion was in typically lightsome form after securing her spot in the gold medal match.
“I feel very good,” said the 27-year-old. “I feel much improved, much higher quality. We saw that it could be much better and that we can be even happier ahead.”
“Shooting against Sheetal again… of course, it’s perfect. Archery is a journey I really love. It’s a place where very different people meet at the same point and work towards the same goal. That motivates me a lot. Maybe we’re different, but our goals are the same.”
“So being in the final again with her will make me very happy. Hopefully I won’t lose and everything will be much nicer. We’re looking forward to it with excitement.”
FINAL MATCH-UPS
- Recurve men: Stefano Travisani (Italy) versus Anton Ziapaev (AIN)
- Recurve women: Gao Zihan (China) versus Wu Chunyan (China)
- Compound men: Rakesh Kumar (India) versus Toman Kumar (India)
- Compound women: Oznur Cure Girdi (Türkiye) versus Sheetal Devi (India)
- W1 men: Zhang Tianxin (China) versus Jason Tabansky (USA)
- W1 women: Isabel Fernandez Jiminez (Spain) versus Sarka Pultar Musilova (Czechia)
