Deepika Kumari settles for fifth World Cup Final silver, India ends campaign with one medal

India’s top recurve archer, Deepika Kumari, secured her fifth silver medal at the Archery World Cup Final, losing the gold medal match 0-6 to China’s Li Jiaman. Returning to the event after a three-year hiatus following the birth of her daughter, Deepika, seeded third, reached the final with a smooth run but fell short against fourth-seeded Li, a Paris Olympics team silver medallist.

This marked Deepika’s ninth appearance at the prestigious event, where she also holds a bronze. She remains one of India’s most decorated archers, though Dola Banerjee remains the only Indian to have won World Cup Final gold, doing so in 2007.

Deepika’s campaign started strong with a 6-0 victory over China’s Yang Xiaolei in the quarterfinals and a thrilling 6-4 semifinal win against Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, who had beaten her for bronze earlier this year. However, in the final, she struggled to keep up with Li. The Chinese archer took the first set by one point (27-26) and delivered a perfect 30 in the second set, extending her lead. Deepika’s second arrow in the third set fell short, landing in the 7-ring, sealing her defeat as Li closed out the match 27-25.

India's men’s recurve contender, Dhiraj Bommadevara, made an early exit despite leading 4-2 in his opening-round match against South Korea’s Lee Woo Seok. Dhiraj started strong but couldn’t hold off the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, losing 4-6 after Lee turned the match around in the final sets.

India’s five-member contingent ended the season-ending World Cup Final with just one medal, Deepika’s silver. In the compound category, Prathamesh Fuge finished fourth, while Priyansh and Jyothi Surekha Vennam were unable to reach the medal rounds. The Indian archers once again struggled under pressure in key moments, a challenge they continue to face on the global stage. (With inputs from PTI)