India’s leading recurve archer, Deepika Kumari, achieved her fifth silver medal at the Archery World Cup Final after a 0-6 loss to China’s Li Jiaman in the final round. This competition marked Deepika’s ninth participation in the prestigious event, where she had previously won a bronze medal.
After a three-year hiatus from the World Cup Final, Deepika made a comeback, having taken a break following the birth of her daughter in December 2022. Entering the tournament as the third seed among eight contenders, the four-time Olympian advanced smoothly to the semifinals but faced tough competition in the final. Her opponent, Li Jiaman, who was seeded fourth, had previously secured a team silver at the Paris Olympics and ultimately outperformed Deepika in the gold medal match.
Dola Banerjee: India’s Only Gold Medalist at World Cup Finals
In Indian archery history, Dola Banerjee remains the only archer from India to have won a gold medal at the Archery World Cup Final. She achieved this milestone in Dubai in 2007.
Dhiraj Bommadevara Falls Short in Men’s Recurve Event
In the men’s recurve category, India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara was eliminated in the first round. Despite leading 4-2 at one point, he was eventually defeated by South Korean archer Lee Woo Seok, a bronze medalist from the Paris Olympics. This early exit highlights the persistent challenges faced by Indian archers under high-stakes situations.
The Indian archery team concluded the tournament with just one medal. The season-ending World Cup Final featured a five-member Indian squad composed of three compound archers, and two recurve archers, none of whom managed to secure additional medals.
Deepika Kumari’s Path to the Final
Deepika’s journey to the final was highlighted by a commanding victory over Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, an Olympic bronze medalist from Paris. In a tense semifinal match, Deepika narrowly edged out Valencia with a 6-4 win, scoring 29-28, 26-26, 26-29, 28-28, and 28-27. This victory was particularly significant as it avenged her earlier loss to Valencia at the Yecheon World Cup, where Deepika had settled for bronze.
However, in the final against Li Jiaman, Deepika struggled to maintain her momentum. She lost the first set by just one point, 26-27, but showed improvement in the second set. Despite her efforts, Li’s perfect 30-point score, including an X-ring shot, gave her a 2-0 advantage (30-28). In the third set, Deepika’s second arrow landed in the red 7-ring, which allowed Li to secure the gold medal with three 9s, winning 27-25. Li’s victory was imposing, as it was her debut at the World Cup Final.
Dhiraj Bommadevara’s Early Exit in Men’s Recurve
Dhiraj Bommadevara was India’s sole participant in the men’s recurve division, seeded third overall. In his first match, he faced South Korea’s second-seed Lee Woo Seok. Dhiraj started strong, drawing the first set and winning the second, but missed an opportunity to extend his lead in the third set, losing by just one point. Lee then delivered perfect scores in the last two sets, ultimately defeating Dhiraj with a 4-6 loss (28-28, 29-26, 28-28, 26-30, 28-29).
Indian Compound Archers Return Empty-Handed
India’s three-member compound archery team finished their World Cup Final campaign without any medals. The closest to a podium finish was Prathamesh Fuge, who secured a fourth-place finish after a narrow loss in the semifinal. Unfortunately, both Priyansh and Jyothi Surekha Vennam were unable to reach the medal rounds, bringing an end to India’s hopes in the compound category for this tournament.
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