India enjoyed a dramatic day at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai as the women’s recurve team secured the country’s first medal of the tournament with a stunning semifinal victory over South Korea.
The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and teenage archer Kumkum Mohod defeated the record 10-time Olympic champion Koreans 5-1 to book a place in the final.
The victory marked one of India’s biggest recent achievements in recurve archery, considering South Korea’s long-standing dominance in the sport. India will now face hosts China in the gold medal clash scheduled for Sunday.
The fourth-seeded Indian women started strongly in the semifinal, producing an impressive opening set with four perfect 10s from six arrows to take the set 58-55. The Koreans struggled to recover from the early pressure and India maintained control throughout the contest.
India held firm in the second set despite a slight dip in scoring and eventually closed out the match comfortably to guarantee at least a silver medal. The performance further highlighted the resurgence of the Indian women’s recurve setup on the global stage.
Earlier in the day, the Indian women defeated Spain and Chinese Taipei in successive knockout rounds to reach the semifinals. Their composure and consistency under pressure proved crucial during a demanding day of competition.
However, it was a disappointing outing for the Indian men’s recurve team. Veteran archer Tarundeep Rai, alongside Dhiraj Bommadevara and Yashdeep Bhoge, suffered a shock 2-6 defeat against Bangladesh in the opening round and crashed out of the competition.
The Indian men failed to win a single set during the encounter and struggled to match Bangladesh’s accuracy and rhythm throughout the match.
India will now look to build on the momentum generated by the women’s team as the tournament progresses toward the medal rounds in Shanghai.
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