Historic Triumph: Dhiraj becomes first Indian male recurve archer to win World Cup
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Historic Triumph: Dhiraj becomes first Indian male recurve archer to win World Cup")
Dhiraj becomes first Indian male recurve archer to win World Cup Photograph: (ANI)
Dhiraj Bommadevara made history by becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win World Cup Final gold. The 25-year-old defeated Japan’s Nakanishi Junya in a thrilling shoot-off, ending India’s 16-year wait for a medal at the event.
Dhiraj Bommadevara made history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win gold at the World Cup Final, holding his nerve in a thrilling shoot-off against Japan’s Nakanishi Junya. World No. 10 Dhiraj defeated the 20th-ranked Japanese archer 6-5 in a closely fought five-set final before winning the shoot-off 10-9. His victory also ended a 16-year wait for an Indian male recurve archer to win a medal at the prestigious season-ending event.
Dhiraj had returned without a medal from the 2023 and 2024 editions, however, he entered this year’s competition in strong form and maintained his level throughout the tournament.
The final was a tense battle from start to finish. Nakanishi, who had defeated Tokyo Olympics champion Mete Gazoz in the semifinals, made a quick start and put Dhiraj under pressure.
The Japanese archer lost only three points from his first six arrows to take a 3-1 lead. Dhiraj responded strongly in the third set, scoring 29 to level the match at 3-3.
Nakanishi then shot a perfect three-arrow fourth set to move 5-3 ahead. He needed only to draw the final set to win the gold, but Dhiraj refused to give up.
The Vijayawada-born archer stayed calm under pressure and dropped just two points in the deciding set. Nakanishi could manage only 27, forcing the final into a shoot-off at 5-5.
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Dhiraj then produced a perfect 10 with his final shot. Nakanishi managed a 9, giving the Indian archer a historic World Cup Final title.
Dhiraj’s achievement is also significant for Indian archery, as Jayanta Talukdar was the last Indian male recurve archer to win a World Cup Final medal, claiming bronze in Edinburgh in 2010. Dhiraj has now gone a step further by becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win the title.
Dola Banerjee remains the only other Indian to have won individual gold at the World Cup Final, claiming the women’s title in 2007.
Deepika Kumari holds the record for the most World Cup Final medals among Indians, with five silver and one bronze from eight appearances.