India beat China in dramatic shoot-off to win Archery World Cup gold
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Shanghai: Led by four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, the Indian trio of Deepika, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to defeat hosts China and clinch the women’s recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on Sunday.
In a gripping final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home favourites 5-4 after winning the shoot-off 28-26, with the four-set regulation ending 4-4.
India, however, narrowly missed out on a third medal after Simranjeet Kaur lost to World No. 1 Kang Chaeyoung in straight sets in the semifinal before suffering another defeat against South Korea’s Jang Minhee in the bronze medal playoff.
India thus concluded their campaign with two medals — the women’s recurve team gold and a bronze won by Sahil Jadhav in the men’s individual compound event on Saturday.
The Indian women’s team showed resilience after almost letting the contest slip away. Having won the opening set, India later trailed 2-4 and stood on the verge of defeat before the relatively inexperienced Chinese trio of Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and 18-year-old Yu Qi faltered in the fourth set.
Needing a nine with the final arrow to seal victory, Yu Qi managed only an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
Seventeen-year-old Kumkum, making only her second World Cup appearance after debuting in Puebla last month, rose to the occasion with a brilliant 10 in the shoot-off after Ankita opened with a 9. Deepika then calmly sealed the gold with a decisive 9 on the final arrow.
The triumph was especially significant as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinal en route to their first women’s recurve team World Cup 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’s recurve team’s first World Cup medal in three years, with their previous podium finish coming at Stage 4 in Paris in 2023, where Ankita was also part of the victorious side.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the ongoing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, designated as the women’s recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background while Deepika guided the team through pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
India began strongly in the final, taking the opening set 54-53 despite some inconsistency from Ankita and Kumkum. Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s.
China responded strongly in the second set. Although Deepika continued her excellent form with another perfect 10 and India briefly held a one-point lead midway through the set, the hosts finished strongly with two 9s and a 10 to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to draw the set. The Indian star, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China levelled the match 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead after taking 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 headed for 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 final three arrows to close out the match. Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, but Yu Qi fell short under pressure, allowing India to force the tiebreaker before prevailing in the shoot-off.
In the individual recurve event, Simranjeet was comprehensively beaten 6-0 by reigning world champion Kang in the semifinal. She then squandered an opening-set advantage against Jang Minhee before losing the bronze medal match 4-6.
With PTI inputs