Jyothi Surekha Wins Gold, Abhishek Verma Takes Silver at GT Open 2024

At the GT Open 2024 in Luxembourg, India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam secured the gold in women’s compound archery, defeating Sarah Prieels of Belgium with a 147-145 victory. Abhishek Verma, who shot a perfect 600 in qualifications, won silver in the men’s competition after a shoot-off loss to Mike Schlosser. Both archers displayed exceptional skill, with Jyothi overcoming tough shoot-offs and Abhishek earning the top seed with perfect rounds before the final. This event is part of the Indoor World Series for the 2025 season.

Event Overview

• The GT Open in Strassen, Luxembourg, was the second of four Indoor World Series 250 tournaments in the 2025 Indoor Archery season.
• The competition followed the Swiss Open Lausanne earlier in the month.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam’s Performance

Gold Medal

• Jyothi won the gold medal in the women’s compound archery event.
• She defeated Sarah Prieels of Belgium with a score of 147-145 in the final.

Qualification Round

• Jyothi earned the 5th seed with a brilliant score of 593 in the qualification round.

Elimination Round

• Started with two perfect 150s in the first two rounds.
• Faced tough competition in the third and fourth rounds.
• Won shoot-offs against fourth seed Lisell Jaatma of Estonia and top seed Elisa Roner of Italy, scoring 10s in the shoot-offs.

Final

• Won the final comfortably after overcoming initial challenges in the elimination rounds.

Abhishek Verma’s Performance

Silver Medal

• Abhishek won the silver medal in the men’s compound archery event.
• He lost to Mike Schlosser of the Netherlands in the final after a shoot-off.

Qualification Round

• Shot a perfect score of 600/600, becoming the first Indian to achieve this on the international circuit.
• Earned the top seeding for the competition.

Elimination Round

• Maintained top form, shooting three perfect 150s out of five elimination matches.

Final

• Shot a perfect 150 in the final.
• The final went to a shoot-off as Mike Schlosser also shot a perfect 150.
• Both archers shot a perfect 10 in the shoot-off, but Schlosser won due to the closest-to-center shot.

Key Takeaways

Jyothi Surekha Vennam

• Demonstrated exceptional resilience in the elimination rounds, overcoming tough competition and clinching the gold.
• Her shoot-off precision and steady performance in the final highlighted her dominance in indoor archery.

Abhishek Verma

• Set a new milestone with a perfect 600/600 in the qualification round, showcasing his top-notch skills.
• Despite shooting perfectly in the final, he narrowly missed out on the gold due to the shoot-off decision.

Overall Impact

• Both Jyothi and Abhishek’s performances are a testament to India’s growing prowess in compound archery on the international circuit.
• Their achievements at the GT Open contribute to India’s strong presence in the 2025 Indoor Archery season, setting the stage for future success.