Deepika leads women's recurve team to dramatic World Cup gold; India finish with two medals

The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the womens recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.

The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday. In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged out the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4. There was however heartbreak for Simranjeet Kaur who lost to World No. 1 and eventual champion Kang Chaeyoung of South Korea in straight sets in the semifinal, before going down to another Korean, Jang Minhee, in the playoff for the bronze medal. India thus ended their campaign with two medals -- one gold and bronze that came through Sahil Jadhav in the men's individual compound section on Saturday. Led by four-time Olympian Deepika, India were inconsistent and almost let it slip after taking the first set. Trailing 2-4, India were on the verge of defeat but the relatively-inexperienced Chinese side comprising two 21-year-olds in Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenager Yu Qi failed to wrap it up in the fourth set. Needing a nine in the final arrow, the 18-year-old Yu Qi slipped to 8-ring, giving Indians a lucky escape as the trio peaked well to win the ensuing shoot-off by two points. The 17-year-old Kumkum, who made her World Cup debut in Puebla last month, shot a splendid 10, after Ankita started off with a 9, while Deepika calmed her nerves to seal the gold with a 9 in the final arrow of the shoot-off. The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021. Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010. It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023, where Ankita was a member of the winning team. Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers. Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff. Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53). Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India took the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show. Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55. Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set. The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2. The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead. India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54. China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match. Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, but Yu Qi fell short before the Indians peaked in the tiebreaker. A third medal eluded India after Simranjeet was outclassed by the reigning world champion Kang 6-0 (26-25, 24-29, 26-28). Up against another Korean, Jang Minhee, in the bronze medal match, Simranjeet squandered an opening set lead before going down 4-6 (29-27, 27-29, 28-28, 28-29, 28-28).