New Delhi, Oct 12 (NationPress) The inaugural Archery Premier League (APL) showcased its finest moment in the grand finale, where the Rajputana Royals faced off against the Prithviraaj Yodhas in a thrilling showdown. In a nail-biting conclusion, the Royals displayed remarkable composure to mount an extraordinary comeback, ultimately winning the title in a dramatic shoot-off and making history as the first-ever APL champions.

The final unfolded in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, where the decisive match came down to a tense showdown of skill in the tiebreaker. The two standout compound archers from the Royals, Ojas Deotale and Ella Gibson, successfully hit the target, while none of the four players from the Yodhas managed to find the mark.

Despite the loss, the Yodhas can walk away with pride, having accomplished a historic feat by achieving a perfect rotation of eight arrows, scoring a flawless 80. However, this monumental achievement wasn’t enough to secure victory, even with a 4-2 lead led by their seasoned compound archer Abhishek Verma, who was in partnership with Matias Grande, Gatha Khadake, and Andrea Becerra.

For the Royals, the dynamic duo of recurvers Mete Gazoz and Ankita Bhakat joined forces with Gibson and Deotale, guiding their team to lift the coveted trophy after an impressive run of just one loss in 12 matches leading up to the championship.

The excitement began in the first set when Khadake's arrow was upgraded by the judges, giving the Yodhas a narrow win at 78-77. The Royals quickly retaliated, taking the second set 78-75 to equalize the score at 2-2.

The third set saw the Yodhas make history by scoring 10s on all eight arrows, finishing with an exceptional score of 80-77.

As the match approached its climax, the fourth set was intense. Grande needed a 9 to secure the championship for the Yodhas but fell short, scoring an 8 instead, handing the Royals the set win at 78-77, leveling the match at 4-4 and leading to a shoot-off to determine the champion. Gibson and Deotale then sealed the deal by hitting the target twice.

Earlier that day, in the first semifinal, the Royals demonstrated their dominance by allowing only six points against the Chero Archers, securing a 5-1 victory with scores of 78-78, 79-77, and 77-75. The Royals continued their strong performance, led by their formidable compound archers, Deotale and Gibson, who were on fire with their precision.

The Royals enhanced their performance further after a tied first set to clinch the next two, capped off by a perfect 10 from Mete Gazoz, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist.

The second semi-final was equally dramatic, where a remeasurement by the judges in the fourth set allowed the Yodhas to secure a 5-3 victory over the Mighty Marathas to advance to the final against the Royals.

The match swung back and forth, with compound archer Mike Schloesser impressing for the Marathas, but it was not enough to clinch a win, despite leveling the game at 2-2 by winning the second set.

The Yodhas started strong, winning the first set 78-74, but the Marathas fought back, taking the next set 79-76. The Yodhas regained the lead at 4-2 after winning the third set 78-74, led by Verma’s perfect 10s. In a twist, the Marathas appeared to have secured a win by a single point at the end of the fourth, only for a remeasurement to tie it at 78-78, sealing the Yodhas' 5-3 victory.