World Archery Championships: Indian women's recurve team enters bronze medal match; men fall short

The Indian women's recurve archery team of Deepika Kumari, Gatha Khadake, and Ankita Bhakat advanced to the bronze medal playoffs at the World Archery Championships. The men's team faced an early exit, while compound archers couldn't add to their existing two medals.

The third-seeded Indian women's team won consecutive matches before losing to Japan 2-6 in the semifinals. They will now compete against South Korea for bronze, seeking India's first women's team medal at the World Championships since 2015.

India has secured two medals in the compound section - a historic men's team gold and a mixed team silver won by Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam.

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Deepika Kumari, a four-time Olympian and former world No.1, led the women's recurve team by finishing sixth in qualification with 677 points. Gatha and Ankita secured 14th and 30th positions with 666 and 656 points respectively.

The team's combined performance earned them third place in team qualification, granting direct entry to the second round. They defeated Slovenia 5-1 in their opening match, scoring 50, 55, and 55 against their opponents' 48, 55, and 53.

In the quarterfinals, they overcame Turkey 6-2 despite losing the first set. They bounced back with scores of 55 and 57, securing the match with another 55.

The semifinals against Japan ended their winning streak with a 6-2 loss. After drawing the first set at 56-all, Japan scored 58 in the second set. The third set was tied at 56-all, but India's poor performance in the fourth set with 51 points handed Japan the victory.

The men's recurve team of Neeraj Chauhan, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Rahul faced an unexpected defeat. The ninth-seeded team lost to 24th-ranked Denmark in a shoot-off, scoring 26 against Denmark's 28.

In the compound section, veterans Jyothi, Parneet Kaur, and Prithika Pradeep couldn't secure individual medals. Parneet, aged 20, finished fourth after losing the bronze playoff to Colombia's Alejandra Usquiano with a score of 144-145.

Parneet had earlier defeated teammate Jyothi 149-147 in the quarterfinals but lost a close semifinal 142-143 to Sofia Paiz. Jyothi, a seven-time participant, will return without a medal for the first time since 2017.

Sixteen-year-old Prithika Pradeep was eliminated in the pre-quarters, losing 145-148 to Estonia's Lisell Jaatma. India failed to defend the women's individual title won by Aditi Swami in Berlin 2023.

Aditi Swami couldn't qualify through the national trials this year.

India's remaining hopes rest on the women's recurve team bronze playoff, individual events, and the recurve mixed team competition. Deepika Kumari, seeded seventh, will partner with Neeraj Chauhan in the mixed team event.

Deepika, returning to the world championship since Den Bosch 2019, aims to win her first individual medal at this event.

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