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Dhiraj Bommadevara spearheaded a memorable campaign for India at the Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya, clinching a historic individual recurve gold and combining with teenager Kumkum Mohod to secure the mixed team title as the country finished with two medals on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Dhiraj stunned Olympic bronze medallist Lee Woo-seok of South Korea 7-3 in the men's individual recurve final to claim his maiden Archery World Cup gold medal. It was also India's first men's individual recurve gold at a World Cup stage since Atanu Das achieved the feat in 2021, according to Olympics.com. Dhiraj's path to the title included a spirited comeback in the semi-finals, where he overturned a 3-1 deficit to defeat Germany's Moritz Wieser 6-4. The triumph marked the fourth World Cup medal of his career, having previously won three bronze medals. Earlier in the day, Dhiraj and 17-year-old Kumkum produced another standout performance, defeating the top-seeded South Korean duo of Oh Yejin and Kim Je-deok 5-1 in the recurve mixed team final. The victory made them only the third Indian mixed recurve pair to win gold at a World Cup stage, following Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das in Paris in 2021 and Tarundeep Rai and Ridhi in Antalya in 2022. For Kumkum, the success extended an impressive run of form. The youngster had also been part of the Indian women's recurve team that won gold at the previous World Cup stage in Shanghai. However, India could not add to its tally in other recurve events. The women's team, comprising Kirti, Ankita Bhakat and Kumkum, exited in the quarter-finals after losing to hosts Turkiye, while the men's team was knocked out by the United States in the second round. Deepika Kumari was the best-performing Indian in the women's individual event, reaching the pre-quarterfinals. India's compound archers endured a disappointing outing and failed to secure a medal. The men's team of Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru narrowly missed the podium, losing the bronze-medal match to Mexico by a single point after suffering a semi-final defeat against eventual champions China. The Antalya competition was the third and penultimate stop of the four-stage Archery World Cup circuit, with Madrid set to host the final leg next month. (ANI)
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