Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Pravin Jadhav’s Indian recurve men’s team defeated Korea, the top-ranked team, for the first time ever to win the gold medal. Meanwhile, Deepika Kumari, making her global event comeback after giving birth in December 2022, won an individual silver in the Archery World Cup Stage-1 in Shanghai.
In the final, Rai, Dhiraj, and Jadhav upset Olympic champions Kim Je Deok and Kim Woojin as well as Korea’s Lee Wooseok trio, 5-1 (57-57, 57-55, 55-53) to enable India win the men’s team event in a World Cup stage after 14 years.
The trio will feel more confident after their accomplishment before the final Olympic qualifying round in Antalya in June. In the unlikely event that the team is unable to qualify for Paris 2024 through the qualifier, it will also increase India’s ranking points, giving it a better chance to qualify through the world rankings. The Olympic-qualified Dhiraj and Ankita Bhakat defeated Mexico (Matias Grande, Alejandra Valencia) 6-0 (35-31, 38-35, 39-37) to win the bronze medal for the mixed team.