India's Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod Win Archery World Cup Gold

Dhiraj Bommadevara

India's Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod won the recurve mixed team gold medal at Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya on Sunday, beating reigning Olympic champions South Korea in the final. The Indian pair defeated Oh Ye-jin and Kim Je-deok 5-1 (37-36, 37-36, 39-39) to secure the title.

Facing one of the strongest teams in international archery, Dhiraj and Kumkum stayed in control throughout the match and made the most of key moments. The opening two sets were closely contested, but the Indian duo edged both by a single point to take a 4-0 lead. South Korea fought back in the third set and matched India with a score of 39-39, earning one point. However, that was not enough to prevent India from sealing the gold medal.

Dhiraj played a key role in the final stages of the contest. The 24-year-old Olympian shot perfect 10s with his final two arrows, helping India close out the match and secure victory.

The gold medal marked a significant achievement for both archers. It was the first World Cup gold medal in the recurve mixed team event for Dhiraj and the 17-year-old Kumkum. The victory marked India's second triumph over South Korea in as many months and underlined the growing confidence within the recurve setup in the build-up to the Asian Games in three months' time.

At the Shanghai World Cup last month, the women's trio of Deepika Kumari, Kumkum and Ankita Bhakat had stunned the record 10-time Olympic champions in the semifinals en route to gold.

Dhiraj's campaign in Antalya is not over yet. India's top-ranked archer is also through to the individual semifinals and remains in contention for another medal. Kumkum had already enjoyed success earlier this season. At the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai last month, she was part of the Indian women's recurve team that won the gold medal.

India's previous recurve mixed team gold medal at a World Cup stage came in 2022, also in Antalya. On that occasion, Ridhi Phor and Tarundeep Rai defeated Great Britain's Bryony Pitman and Alex Wise in a shoot-off to claim the title.