Dhiraj and Kumkum Create History at Archery World Cup 2026 in Antalya
India celebrated a golden double at the Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya, Turkiye, on Sunday, as Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod delivered standout performances. Dhiraj claimed a historic individual recurve gold, while the duo also triumphed in the mixed team event, securing India's two medals at the competition.
Dhiraj's Individual Glory
The 24-year-old Dhiraj defeated Olympic bronze medallist Lee Woo-seok of South Korea 7-3 in the men's individual recurve final. This victory earned him his first Archery World Cup gold medal and marked India's first men's individual recurve gold at a World Cup stage since Atanu Das achieved the feat in 2021, as reported by Olympics.com.
Dhiraj's journey to the title included a remarkable comeback in the semi-finals, where he overturned a 3-1 deficit to beat Germany's Moritz Wieser 6-4. This triumph was the fourth World Cup medal of his career, adding to three previous bronze medals.
Mixed Team Success
Earlier in the day, Dhiraj partnered with 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod to defeat the top-seeded South Korean duo of Oh Yejin and Kim Je-deok 5-1 in the recurve mixed team final. This victory made them only the third Indian mixed recurve pair to win gold at a World Cup stage, following Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das (Paris 2021) and Tarundeep Rai and Ridhi (Antalya 2022).
For Kumkum, the success continued an impressive run. She was also part of the Indian women's recurve team that won gold at the previous World Cup stage in Shanghai.
Other Indian Performances
India could not add to its medal tally in other recurve events. The women's team, comprising Kirti, Ankita Bhakat, and Kumkum, exited in the quarter-finals after losing to hosts Turkiye, while the men's team was knocked out by the United States in the second round. Deepika Kumari was the best-performing Indian in the women's individual event, reaching the pre-quarterfinals.
India's compound archers had a disappointing outing, failing to secure a medal. The men's team of Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru narrowly missed the podium, losing the bronze-medal match to Mexico by a single point after a semi-final defeat against eventual champions China.
Upcoming Events
The Antalya competition was the third and penultimate stop of the four-stage Archery World Cup circuit. Madrid will host the final leg next month.
