Kazakh arrow halts Joma’s medal march

Joma Akter’s stirring medal charge was halted in the quarter-finals as the Bangladeshi Para-archer bowed out to Kazakhstan’s Aitimova Zhanat at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok on Thursday.

Moments earlier, she had roared into the last eight, flashing a victory sign after edging Kazakhstan’s Seidan Aizada in a tense tie-break in the pre-quarter-final.

Locked at 140–140, the contest went to a shoot-off at Rajamangala Stadium, where Joma held her nerve to fire a perfect 10 against Aizada’s nine.

That composure deserted her in the quarter-final.

Facing Zhanat, Joma battled gamely but was outgunned 144–137, crashing out just short of the podium at the World Archery Para Series.

The defeat dimmed a day that had begun with promise in Bangkok, where Joma had earlier looked every inch a contender.

Confined to a wheelchair after a fall in 2018, Joma has rebuilt her life through sport, switching from wheelchair basketball to para archery in 2024.

That same year, she clinched bronze medal at the Para Asia Cup in Dubai to secure a Paris Paralympics quota.

“Today I felt on track, but the points kept slipping,” Joma said. “Not this time, next time, I’ll try again.”