National Archery | Neeraj eclipses Tarundeep while Ankita leads Jharkhand from the front

Neeraj Chauhan and Ankita Bhakat shine in National archery championships, leading their teams to victory.

Policeman Neeraj Chauhan accumulated 692 points to break Tarundeep Rai’s record of 687 and topped the recurve men’s ranking round in the National archery championships at the Gopal Maidan here on Tuesday.

In the women’s section, Olympian Ankita Bhakat took the number one spot with 667 points before leading host Jharkhand to the women’s team title clash.

Neeraj, experiencing a revival of his career after tweaking his training schedule, shot with confidence to lead at the halfway stage before securing an overall lead. He was consistent in both segments, garnering 345 and 347 points.

“In the morning, I had a feeling that something special would happen today. Looking forward to carrying forward my form,” said Neeraj.

Ankita, going through rehab for a shoulder issue, fell three short of her personal best. Later, the southpaw shot with accuracy to guide the Jharkhand side – also comprising Komalika Bari and Tamanna Verma – to overcome a strong challenge from Maharashtra and register a 5-3 victory in the semifinals.

The star Olympian pair of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, representing Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, went past West Bengal 6-2, Andhra Pradesh 5-3 and Madhya Pradesh 6-2 to book a place in the mixed team final.

The results: Recurve: