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India Strikes Gold at Asia Cup Archery Stage-1 in Baghdad

India, the top seed, beat Iraq in the semi-finals earlier after receiving a bye in the quarter-finals. Bangladesh won the bronze medal in the event, defeating the hosts….reports Asian Lite News

India won gold medals in both men’s compound and mixed team events and are set to dominate the recurve section at the Asia Cup 2024 archery stage-1 world ranking tournament in Baghdad, Iraq while the three individual finals in both recurve and compound sections will be all-Indian affairs.

The Indian men’s compound team, comprising Prathamesh Jawkar, Priyansh and Kushal Dalal, won the gold medal on Saturday, beating the Iranian team of Armin Pakzad, Arash Ghasemipour and Radrezvan Behnia 232-229 in the gold medal match.

India, the top seed, beat Iraq in the semi-finals earlier after receiving a bye in the quarter-finals. Bangladesh won the bronze medal in the event, defeating the hosts.

In the Compound Mixed Team competition, Prathamesh Jawkar and Aditi Swami combined to win the gold, again beating a pair from Iran 159-157 in the final.

The women’s compound team of Aditi Swami, Priya Gurjar and Parneet Kaur, however, had to settle for the silver medal after losing to Iran 223-229 in the final.

India have a chance to sweep all the gold medals in recurve archery on Sunday as three of the four have Indians on both sides. Parneet Kaur in the Compound Women Final will be the only one who will not be facing a compatriot and will instead face an Iranian archer.

Olympian Deepika Kumari hogged the limelight as she made it to the Recurve Women’s Final on her return to international competitions post motherhood. She will take on compatriot Simranjeet Kaur in the final on Sunday. In the Recurve Men’s Final, World Champion Dhiraj Bommadevara will face seasoned Tarundeep Rai in the final after they came out through the semifinals.

The other all-Indian summit clash will pit Prathamesh Jawkar against compatriot Kushal Dalal in the Compound Men’s Final while in the Compound Women’s Final, India’s Parneet Kaur will face Iran’s Fatemeh.

India are also competing in all three recurve archery team finals – women’s, men’s and mixed team.

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At least 60 protesters injured after storming Baghdad’s Green Zone

The demonstrators breached the fortified barriers around the Green Zone, the INA said. The highly-secured Green Zone in the capital is home to several government buildings and diplomatic missions…reports Asian Lite News

At least 60 protesters were injured in the Green Zone in central Baghdad after clashing with security forces on Saturday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Security forces used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to try to disperse thousands of protesters who broke into the parliament building for the second time this week, according to local media reports.

Supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr flocked to Tahrir Square in the capital on Saturday to protest against the nomination of Mohammed Al-Sudani as the new prime minister of Iraq, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

The demonstrators breached the fortified barriers around the Green Zone, the INA said. The highly-secured Green Zone in the capital is home to several government buildings and diplomatic missions.

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi urged security forces to protect the demonstrators and called on the protesters to refrain from using violence, adding that the clashes would only serve to escalate the situation, INA reported.

“Continuing the political escalation increases the tension and does not serve the public interests. The security forces have a duty to protect official institutions and emphasized the need to take all legal measures to maintain order,” Al-Khadimi said in a statement.

Protests in the capital have been ongoing since Wednesday despite several calls from Al-Kadhimi urging demonstrators to “immediately withdraw,” according to INA.

The stalled elections have deepened economic woes in the country that has been struggling to handle the months-long political deadlock.

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