Who is Ojas Deotale? Know all about the archer who is assured of at least a silver medal at Asian Games 2023

Ojas Deotale has assured India of at least a silver medal in the men's compound individual event at the 2023 Asian Games.

On Tuesday, October 3, Deotale, who is the world champion, defeated South Korea's former world champion Yang Jaewon by four points with back-to-back 150s to make it through to the gold medal match.

Deotale, who is making his Asian Games debut this year, will next face compatriot and 2014 silver medalist Abhishek Verma, who beat top seed and another South Korean Jaehoon Joo 147-145.

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Who is Ojas Deotale?

Ojas Deotale is a native of Nagpur in the Indian state of Maharashtra. He took to archery very early in his life. But it wasn't his first sporting love as he picked rollerskating first and did well in it, winning several medals at the state level.

The 21-year-old crossed paths with archery at a summer camp in 2015, after which he joined an archery academy where he trained under the watchful eyes of Satyajeet Yelne.

The Maharashtrian, who was a student of the Siddhivinayak School in Gumgaon, stayed at his alma mater for many months during the COVID-19 lockdowns as he did not want to get impacted by the restrictions imposed on people's movements.

Deotale made good impressions early in his career. He broke (1423, 1427) the then Junior World Record (1419) twice at a junior team selection held in Sonipat in 2022.

He made his senior national team debut at the end of that year and won the individual silver and team gold for India in the men's compound event in Leg 3 of the Sharjah Asia Cup.

This year, he and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won the compound mixed team gold medal at the World Cup Stage 1 in Antalya and the World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai. Later, at the World Archery Championships in Berlin, he clinched the gold medal in the individual men’s compound event final — the first in India's history.

Now, Deotale has assured himself of at least a silver medal at the ongoing Asian Games. But he will be gunning to beat countryman Abhishek Verma to the gold.