India win gold, bronze in recurve team events at Archery World Cup Stage 1

India stunned a much-fancied South Korea to win the recurve men’s team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai, China on Sunday. It is India’s first gold medal in the team event of a World Cup in 14 years. This triumph also comes as a boost to their chances of securing a berth in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

The trio of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav shocked the reigning Olympic champions South Korea to win the yellow metal - without dropping a set at that.

In a battle between the top-two seeds, Indians showed ice-cool composure to get the better of the mighty Koreans.

STUNNING defeat. 💪🇮🇳
India steals the gold from Korea in Shanghai.#ArcheryWorldCup #Archery @india_archery pic.twitter.com/kHnasb1av7

— World Archery (@worldarchery) April 28, 2024

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India won 5-1 (57-57, 57-55, 55-53), taking their gold medal count to five in the season-opening showpiece.

Tarundeep, 40, was also a part of the gold medal-winning team in Shanghai World Cup Stage 4 in August 2010. Then the recurve team comprising Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep and Jayanta defeated Japan.

South Korea team included two members of the Tokyo Olympics gold medal winning team in Kim Woojin and Kim Je Deok. Lee Woo Seok was the third member.

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The Indian troika put up a brave front and drilled in three 10s that included two X (closer to the centre) and three 9s to match their rivals (57-all) in the opening set.

It put the pressure back on the Koreans who slipped twice into the 8-ring, while the Indians shot four perfect 10s including three Xs from six arrows to take the second set 57-55 and take 3-1 lead.

In the next set, the Koreans faltered and managed just 53 as the Indians held their nerves to close out the game with a 55 en route to clinch a first men’s team World Cup gold since 2010.

Flawless 6-0 victory.👏
The Indians take the bronze in Shanghai. 🥉#ArcheryWorldCup #Archery @india_archery pic.twitter.com/AjcLza8yVP

— World Archery (@worldarchery) April 28, 2024

In the recurve mixed team bronze medal match, India - featuring Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara - swept aside Mexico 6-0 (35-31, 38-35, 39-37) to take third place.

Deepika Kumari, on the comeback trail after missing the whole 2023 after becoming a mother in December 2022, added to India’s medal tally with a silver medal in the women’s recurve individual event.

Deepika, a former World No. 1, who started from the bottom after qualifying as the 30th seed, eliminated archers from Korean in the quarterfinal and semi-final.

But in the final, Deepika lost to Asian Games champion Shihyeon Lim in straight sets 6-0 (26-27, 27-29, 27-28).

Deepika had a poor start in the title round, with her second arrow landing in the seven-point ring. Rising 20-year-old Lim dropped just one point to take the second set and sealed the gold without much fuss.

Overall, India bagged eight medals - five golds, two silvers and one bronze - from the first World Cup stage of the year.

End of decade long wait

Before this victory, the women’s team had previously beaten the Koreans twice in the 2013 World Cup – Medellin Stage 3 in July and Wroclaw Stage 4 in August.

“The nerves always kick in when Korea is in the final. But now, no one can doubt our ability to defeat them,” declared former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Rahul Banerjee, a member of the Shanghai 2010 triumph.

“They have been showing perfect rhythm right from the qualifying round and it’s definitely one of the biggest wins in archery. They will now have to hold on to this momentum till Paris,” he added.

So far, India have taken a solitary Olympic berth, earned by Dhiraj in the men’s individual section.

The final Olympic qualifying event is the Stage 3 World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, from 18-23 June following which the team rankings will offer two additional quotas for the first time.

The two highest-ranked nations, who did not make the cut from the Qualifiers, will receive team berths for Paris Games from the World Archery rankings.

India (231 points) are now third in the world rankings, behind China (241) and No. 1 South Korea (340) and are well-placed to make the Paris Olympics cut.

India's compound archers had swept the team events earlier when they won the men’s, women’s and mixed team gold medals on Saturday.

Reigning Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam clinched a fourth gold in women’s compound individual, while Priyansh settled for a maiden World Cup silver in the men’s individual compound section.