India’s women’s recurve team produced one of the biggest upsets of the season at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, defeating powerhouse South Korea 5-1 to book a place in the final and assure the country of its first medal of the tournament.
Facing a nation that has dominated Olympic archery for decades, the Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod delivered a composed and clinical performance under pressure on Thursday in Shanghai. Their victory over the Koreans marked a major statement ahead of the gold medal clash against hosts China on Sunday.
India entered the semifinals after surviving two difficult knockout rounds earlier in the day. The fourth-seeded side first defeated Uzbekistan 6-2 before edging past Vietnam 5-4 in a nerve-wracking shoot-off in the quarterfinals. Against South Korea, however, the Indian women looked confident from the very beginning. They opened the semifinal with a brilliant score of 58, dropping only two points and firing four perfect 10s from six arrows. Korea struggled to settle into rhythm and managed only 55, giving India an early 2-0 advantage.
The second set proved tighter as India slipped slightly with an 8, but the trio still managed to hold Korea to a 56-56 tie and extended the lead to 3-1. Needing only two more points to secure victory, the Indian archers once again responded with composure. Deepika, Ankita and Kumkum shot another excellent 58 in the third set, while the Koreans faltered under pressure with a score of 56. The result sealed a memorable 5-1 victory and sent the Indian contingent into celebration.
Although South Korea fielded a relatively inexperienced side as part of its preparations for the upcoming Asian Games, the win remains significant considering the country’s historic dominance in recurve archery. The Korean team featured reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung alongside debutants Lee Yunji and Oh Yejin. Olympic stars An San and Lim Sihyeon were absent from the squad.
South Korea has long been regarded as the benchmark in world archery, particularly in women’s recurve events where the nation has collected multiple Olympic and World Cup titles over the years.
India’s route to the semifinals also highlighted the team’s resilience. Against Uzbekistan, the Indians recovered after losing the opening set to register a 6-2 victory. Their toughest challenge came in the quarterfinal against Vietnam, where both teams traded momentum throughout the match. India started poorly with a 53 in the first set after multiple 8s, allowing Vietnam to take an early lead. The Indian trio bounced back strongly in the second set as Vietnam slipped with a 49 that included two 8s and a 6. India then edged ahead 4-2 before Vietnam forced a shoot-off by winning the fourth set 56-55. Under immense pressure, the Indian women delivered when it mattered most. They scored 28 from three arrows in the shoot-off, comfortably beating Vietnam’s 25 to progress into the semifinals.
While the women celebrated a landmark victory, it proved to be a disappointing day for the Indian men’s recurve team. The trio of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Yashdeep Bhoge suffered a shock 2-6 defeat to Bangladesh in the opening round. India struggled for consistency throughout the contest and failed to win a single set outright. Bangladesh maintained better composure and finished strongly with a 57 in the fourth set to eliminate the Indians.
The women’s recurve team will now face second-seeded China in the gold medal match as India looks to continue its impressive rise in world archery. The country has shown growing consistency across World Cup stages in recent seasons, with experienced names like Deepika Kumari continuing to lead the charge alongside a new generation of young talent.
