- Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav won the gold medal in the Archery World Cup.
- This is the first World Cup final victory for the Indian men’s recurve team over South Korea.
- The three handled the Koreans with such coolness that they managed to win without dropping a set.
On April 28, in Shanghai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav, representing India’s men’s recurve team, won the gold medal in the Archery World Cup.
This is the first World Cup final victory for the Indian men’s recurve team over South Korea, and it will increase their prospects of qualifying for the next Olympics in Paris. The three handled the Koreans with such coolness that they managed to win without dropping a set.
Archery World Cup
Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj’s mixed team from India took home the bronze, and Deepika Kumari, a former world number one, is aiming for another medal.
In the men’s team final, India took on South Korea, which included Kim Woojin and Kim Je Deok, two members of the gold medal-winning squad from the Tokyo Olympics. In the first set, the Indian Troika met their opponents (57-all) with a valiant display of three 10s, including two X (near the center) and three 9s.
With a 3-1 advantage, the Indians won the second set, 57-55. The Indians maintained their composure to finish the match with a 55 and win the men’s team World Cup gold for the first time since 2010. The Koreans fell in the following set, managing just 53.
Dhiraj won a spot in the men’s solo division, giving India its only Olympic berth. The Stage 3 World Cup, which takes place in Antalya, Turkey, from June 18 to 23, is the last Olympic qualifying competition. Based on the World Archery rankings, the two top-ranked countries who did not qualify for the Qualifiers will be awarded team berths for Paris.
After China (241) and South Korea (340), India (231 points) is currently ranked third in the world and is in a good position to qualify for the Olympics in Paris.
