Tokyo Paralympics: Rakesh finishes third, Chikara in top-10 in ranking round of archery competition

In
the
men’s
recurve
open
category,
2019
Asian
Para
Championship
winner
Vivek
Chikara
finished
in
the
top-10.
World
No.
11
Kumar,
who
won
an
individual
gold
medal
at
the
first
world
ranking
tournament
in
Dubai
earlier
this
year,
narrowly
missed
out
the
second
spot
to
Iranian
Ramezan
Biabani
who
also
totalled
699
but
placed
higher
than
the
Indian
for
shooting
more
arrows
closest
to
the
centre
(X).

The
Indian
shot
53
perfect
10s,
including
17
closest
to
the
centre,
while
his
Iranian
rival
had
18
Xs.
Another
Indian
in
the
fray,
Shyam
Sundar
Swami
finished
a
lowly
21st
with
682
points.
Both
the
Indians
were
seeded
straight
into
the
second
round
in
the
draw
of
64.

World
No.
22
Jyoti
Baliyan,
who
is
the
only
Indian
female
member
to
have
qualified
for
the
Paralympics,
secured
the
15th
place
ranking
in
the
compound
open
event.
A
team
silver
medallist
at
the
Asian
Para
Championships
in
2019,
Jyoti
shot
671
points.

She
and
Kumar
got
sixth
ranking
in
the
compound
mixed
pair
open
category.
The
duo
will
open
their
campaign
against
Thailand
in
the
compound
mixed
pair
open
which
has
a
draw
of
16.

In
the
men’s
recurve
open
category,
Chikara
finished
in
the
top-10
after
shooting
609
points,
ahead
of
2018
Para
Asian
Games
champion
Harvinder
Singh
who
qualified
as
21st
seed.

Chikara
shot
20
perfect
10s
and
2
Xs
in
his
72
arrows,
while
Singh
ended
with
600
points
to
slip
out
of
top-20.
The
open
event
combines
W2
(Wheelchair
2)
and
ST
(Standing)
classes.

Athletes
who
have
an
impairment
in
the
legs
and
use
a
wheelchair
or
have
a
balance
impairment
and
shoot
standing
or
resting
on
a
stool
can
compete
in
the
open
category.

In
para
archery,
the
use
of
assistive
equipment
or
an
assistant
is
allowed
depending
on
the
impairment,
while
a
variety
of
techniques
may
be
employed,
including
pulling
the
bowstring
with
the
mouth.