Jharkhand pipped Manipur to emerge overall champions on the concluding day of 23rd Senior National Indian Round Archery Championship at Arjuna Stadium in Kharsawan on Sunday.
The host outfit bagged 7 medals - 2 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze - in the men and women sections while Manipur claimed three medals - 2 gold and 1 silver - to finish runners-up.
Jharkhand's Anita Kumari bagged the yellow metal in the women's individual Olympic round to become the national champion where M. Rajiv of Services Sports Control Board won the honours in the men's category.
Anita, a cadet of Birsa Munda Archery Academy in Silli (near Ranchi), also bagged an individual gold in 30m as well as a silver in 50m while teammates Simpy Kumari, Jaya Laxmi Laguri and Razia Khatoon claimed the team bronze in the women's section. Jharkhand's Shiv Kumar Kumbhakar also won an individual bronze in the Olympic round.
SeraikelaKharsawan DC K. Srinivasan handed over the trophies to the winning outfit.
The state has fielded an 8-member (men and women) squad for the national meet. Most of the archers were below the age of 20 but displayed fine shooting skills at the senior level.
Secretary of Seraikela-Kharsawan District Archery Association S.C. Mohanty said that the event has brought the district on the archery map of the country.
"We have several talents who have the potential to become top notch archers. We have plans to switch some of our archers to the globally more acceptable recurve division. Jharkhand has proved their vicelike grip over Indian round category," he added.
