Archery World Cup: India Beats Korea to win first gold in Men’s Recurve Team in 14 years
This significant achievement boosts India’s chances of earning a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics based on world rankings
At the 2024 Archery World Cup in Shanghai, the Indian men’s recurve archery trio, consisting of Tarundeep Rai, Pravin Jadhav, and Dhiraj Bommadevara, triumphed by winning the gold. In a similar vein, Deepika Kumari earned a silver medal in the solo women’s recurve category.
The Indian contingent concluded the tournament with a total of eight medals: five golds, two silvers, and a bronze. The duo of Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara brought home the bronze in the mixed team recurve event.
During the climactic men’s team recurve final, the Indian team overcame the strong South Korean team, which included Olympic champions Kim Woojin and Kim Je Deok, with a remarkable score of 5-1. This victory marked India’s first gold in this category at the World Cup in over a decade.
This significant achievement boosts India’s chances of earning a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics based on world rankings. Notably, Dhiraj Bommadevara had already obtained an individual quota for the Paris Games.
Furthermore, the pair of Dhiraj and Ankita Bhakat secured a bronze in the mixed team category with a decisive 6-0 victory over Mexico. Dhiraj also broke the national record in the men’s recurve qualifiers with a score of 693, placing him third.
Despite these successes, the Indian archers did not fare as well in the men’s individual recurve, with Pravin and Dhiraj bowing out early and Tarundeep Rai concluding his run in the quarter-finals.
Deepika Kumari showcased her exceptional skills by winning a silver medal in the women’s individual recurve event. She defeated Nam Suhyeon of South Korea 6-0 in the semifinals but unfortunately lost to Lim Sihyeon in the finals. This is Deepika’s second consecutive medal since her comeback to international competition after her maternity leave. She had previously secured a gold medal at the 2024 Asia Cup held in Baghdad.
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