India's Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod secured the recurve mixed team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya on Sunday, overcoming 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 claim the title.
Dominant Performance Against South Korea
Facing one of the strongest teams in international archery, Dhiraj and Kumkum maintained control throughout the match and capitalized on crucial moments. The opening two sets were tightly 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, matching India with a score of 39-39 to earn one point. However, that was insufficient to prevent India from sealing the gold medal.
Dhiraj's Crucial Role
Dhiraj played a pivotal role in the final stages of the contest. The 24-year-old Olympian shot perfect 10s with his last two arrows, helping India close out the match and secure victory. This 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.
India's Growing Dominance
The victory marked India's second triumph over South Korea in as many months, underscoring the growing confidence within the recurve setup ahead of the Asian Games in three months. 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's Earlier Success
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.
