Swati Chaudhary won silver in the women’s W1 archery at the Asian Para Games, losing the final 6-4 to China’s Cen Mengkan after leading 4-2. The top seed’s medal in Okazaki was described as India’s first in the W1 category.
Okazaki, Japan: Swati Chaudhary had the final in her hands and then it slipped. India’s top seed led China’s Cen Mengkan 4-2 in the women’s W1 individual final at the Asian Para Games on Thursday, only for Cen to level at 4-4 and take the decider 28-21 for a 6-4 win. The silver was still described as India’s first medal in the W1 category.
How the lead was lost
Swati won the opening set 25-17 after Cen misfired an arrow. Cen took the second 22-21, and Swati edged the third by the same 22-21 margin to move ahead 4-2. Cen then fired three 10s for a 30-20 fourth set that squared the match at 4-4, and the decider went her way 28-21.
A seed who earned her place
Swati reached the final as the leading name in the draw. She set a Games record of 648 in the W1 women’s ranking round, a mark covered in our ranking-round report. W1 is the classification for archers with significant impairments affecting both upper and lower limbs.
Cen’s first Games gold
For Cen, the win was her first gold at an Asian Para Games. She took the last two sets after trailing, and that was enough to take the title from a rival who had controlled much of the match.
What it means for India
The silver came on a day of archery success. Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar won the compound mixed team gold, and Sheetal later won the individual title. After Wednesday’s compound doubles silver, the W1 medal widens India’s archery haul beyond the compound events.
Result: Women’s W1 individual final, Asian Para Games, Okazaki. Gold: Cen Mengkan (China); Silver: Swati Chaudhary (India). Final score: 6-4 (sets 25-17 and 22-21 to India; 22-21, 30-20 and a 28-21 decider to China).
