India concluded its campaign at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 on a high note, securing a total of seven medals after Deepika Kumari and Parth Salunkhe added two bronze medals from the recurve events on Sunday.
Veteran archer Deepika Kumari, the most decorated archer in Indian history, bounced back from a semifinal defeat to claim bronze in the women’s recurve individual category.
Meanwhile, Parth Salunkhe earned his first-ever World Cup podium finish with a bronze in the men’s recurve event.
These two medals followed a dominant performance by India’s compound archers on Saturday, who collectively secured five medals, including a remarkable triple-medal haul by comeback star Madhura Dhamangankar.
Deepika’s road to bronze was a story of resilience. Exactly a year after being eliminated at the same stage by South Korea’s Lim Sihyeon in Yecheon, history repeated itself.
Lim, the reigning Olympic champion, once again overpowered Deepika in a largely one-sided semifinal, winning 7-1.
However, the 30-year-old four-time Olympian showed her experience and grit in the bronze medal match, defeating South Korea’s Kang Chae Young 7-3.
Displaying composure and sharp shooting, Deepika outscored Kang with a string of precise shots, including a perfect 30 in the fourth set.
The match opened with a 27-27 tie, but Deepika took control in the second set with a 28 to go up 3-1. Kang struck back with a flawless 30 in the third set, levelling the match at 3-3.
Undeterred, Deepika responded with another perfect 30 in the fourth set and sealed the win with a 29-28 score in the final set.
Earlier in the semifinal, Deepika struggled to find momentum. Despite two 9s, she dropped the first set 26-27. Lim held her nerve in the second with another 28, splitting the set.
The Korean then surged ahead with a perfect 30 in the third and wrapped up the match with a 29 in the fourth, winning 7-1.
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This encounter mirrored their 2023 semifinal clash, although Deepika had managed to take two set points on that occasion.
On the men’s side, Parth Salunkhe fell narrowly to Korean great Kim Woojin in the semifinals (4-6) but rebounded to win the bronze medal playoff, giving India its second medal in the recurve section.
India’s overall haul of seven medals—five from compound and two from recurve—underscored the country’s growing depth in archery across disciplines.
