Archery, World Cup Shanghai: Men’s recurve team win gold; Deepika Kumari clinches silver

The Indian men’s team stunned South Korea on Sunday to clinch gold in the recurve men’s team event at the 2024 Archery World Cup Stage I in Shanghai.

The Indian recurve mixed team also finished on the podium as Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat beat Mexico in the bronze medal match.

In her return to the World Cup tour, Deepika Kumari won silver in the women’s individual event.

The final of the men’s team event pitted top seeds South Korea against second seeds India. South Korea, featuring Olympic gold medallists Kim Woojin and Kim Je Deok as well as Asian Games gold medallist Lee Woo Seok started as favourites against the Indian trio of Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Ramesh Jadhav.

However, on a rainy morning in Shanghai, it was the Indians who mastered the tricky conditions to beat their fancied opponents in the final.

The two teams shared the first set after shooting 57. In the next set, the Koreans uncharacteristically shot two 8s and a 9 as India took the set 57-55.

The Koreans’ miserable morning was capped off as they shot one 8 and five 9s in the third and final set as India held their nerves to win the set 55-53 and clinch gold with a 5-1 win.

In the mixed team bronze medal match, Bommadevara and Bhakat swept past the Mexican pair of Alejandra Valencia and Matias Grande 6-0.

The Indian pair won the first set 35-31 before taking the second set 38-35. Bommadevara and Bhakat secured bronze in style dropping just a single point in the final set.

Having qualified in 30th position, Deepika Kumari had made the semi-finals after beating German third seed Katharina Bauer and South Korean sixth seed Jeon Hunyoung along the way.

In the semi-final, Kumari beat seventh seed South Korean Nam Suhyeon 6-0 to set up a final against Asian Games champion Lim Sihyeon.

Kumari got off to a bad start shooting a 10, 9 and a 7 to lose the first set 27-26. Sihyeon extended her lead by winning the second set 29-27 and completed the win by clinching the third set 28-27.

With five gold medals, two silver and one bronze medal, India ended the World Cup stage as the most successful nation.