India women’s recurve team beat China to win gold at Archery World Cup Stage 2

India’s women’s recurve team produced a stunning comeback to defeat hosts China in a dramatic shoot-off and clinch the gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on Sunday.

Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense final to edge past China 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off and claim India’s first Archery World Cup stage gold medal since 2021.

The match was a see-saw battle, with India taking the opening set before the Chinese team fought back strongly to level the scores and force a shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended tied.

With the pressure mounting in the decider, the Indian archers delivered when it mattered most. Veteran star Deepika Kumari stepped up to seal the memorable victory in front of the home crowd with a crucial nine on the final arrow of the shoot-off.

India had earlier pulled off another major upset by defeating 10-time Olympic champions South Korea women’s national archery team in the semifinals to book their place in the gold medal match.

The win added to India’s medal haul in the tournament after Pravin Jadhav opened the country’s account with a bronze medal in the compound individual event on Saturday.

Later in the day, India’s medal hopes remained alive in Shanghai as Simranjeet Kaur advanced to the semifinals of the women’s recurve individual event, staying one win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.

Sahil Jadhav also secured a bronze medal in the men’s individual compound competition on Saturday, earning his first career World Cup medal. The 25-year-old defeated Denmark’s Martin Damsbo 147-144 in the bronze medal match.

After trailing 30-29 early in the contest, Sahil rallied strongly over the remaining ends to secure a place on the podium.

Earlier, the eighth-seeded Indian narrowly defeated Austria’s Nico Wiener, the 2021 world champion, in a shoot-off after both archers finished tied on 147 in the quarterfinals.

His run ended in the semifinals, where reigning world champion Nicolas Girard of France defeated him 147-145, sending Sahil into the bronze medal playoff.

Sahil’s campaign also included wins over Indian veteran Abhishek Verma in the third round and Germany’s Ruven Fluss 149-146 in the round of 16.

His bronze was India’s only medal in the compound events at this year’s Shanghai World Cup, a sharp contrast to the five compound medals India won at the same venue last year.