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The experienced trio displayed unwavering composure as they outclassed the mighty Koreans without dropping a single set. Tarundeep Rai, a 40-year-old Army veteran, was also part of the gold medal-winning team at the Shanghai World Cup Stage 4 in August 2010, alongside Rahul Banerjee and Jayanta, where they triumphed over Japan.
In the final showdown between the top two seeds, India emerged victorious with a 5-1 scoreline (57-57, 57-55, 55-53), taking their gold medal tally to five in the season-opening Stage 1 World Cup. The success also extended to the recurve mixed team event, where Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara clinched the bronze medal by defeating Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia and Matias Grande 6-0 (35-31, 38-35, 39-37).
Deepika Kumari, making a comeback after becoming a mother in December 2022, narrowly missed out on the gold in the women’s recurve individual section, settling for a silver medal. Despite starting as the 30th seed, Deepika showcased her prowess by eliminating two Korean archers in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. However, in the final, she succumbed to Hangzhou Asian Games champion Lim Sihyeon in straight sets 6-0 (26-27, 27-29, 27-28).
India’s overall medal haul from the global showpiece stood at an impressive eight medals, including five gold, two silver, and one bronze. The men’s team final saw India face their nemesis South Korea, featuring two members of the Tokyo Olympics gold medal-winning team, Kim Woojin and Kim Je Deok, along with Lee Woo Seok.
The Indian trio rose to the challenge, matching their rivals in the opening set and then capitalizing on the Koreans’ mistakes to secure a 3-1 lead. In the decisive set, the Koreans faltered, managing only 53 points, while the Indians held their nerves to close out the game with a score of 55, clinching their first men’s team World Cup gold since 2010.
Former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Rahul Banerjee, a member of the Shanghai 2010 triumph, emphasized the significance of this victory, stating, “The nerves always kick in when Korea is in the final. But now, no one can doubt our ability to defeat them.” He added, “They have been showing perfect rhythm right from the qualifying round and it’s definitely one of the biggest wins in archery. They will now have to hold on to this momentum till Paris.”
India’s hopes for Olympic qualification now rest on the Stage 3 World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, from June 18 to 23, where team rankings will offer two additional quotas for the first time. The two highest-ranked nations that did not qualify through the Qualifiers will receive team berths for Paris based on the World Archery rankings. Currently, India sits third in the world rankings behind China and South Korea, putting them in a favourable position to secure their spot in the Paris Olympics.
On Saturday, Indian compound archers had a stellar performance, sweeping the team events with gold medals in men’s, women’s, and mixed team categories. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, the reigning Asian Games champion, added a fourth gold in the women’s compound individual section, while Priyansh claimed a maiden World Cup silver in the men’s individual compound event.
(Inputs from PTI)
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