Deepika Kumari (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: The Indian women’s recurve team scored one of its biggest victories in recent years by stunning 10-time Olympic champions South Korea to enter the finals of the Archery World Cup Stage 2 on Thursday.The experienced trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenage archer Kumkum Mohod produced a poised and clinical performance to beat the mighty Koreans 5-1 in the semi-finals and give India their first medal of the tournament.
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This is what my mother wanted’: The story behind Lokesh Sathyanathan’s 8.21m jumpThe memorable victory set up a gold medal match against second-seeded China on Sunday.While the women put up a sensational run, the men’s recurve team suffered a disappointment when they fell to Bangladesh in the opening round, going down 2-6.Led by Deepika, India surpassed KoreaFacing the sport’s most dominant nation, the Indian women showed remarkable composure from the first set.The fourth-seeded Indians started strongly with four perfect 10s from six arrows and dropped just two points to take the first set 58-55. The Korean side looked shaky early on and struggled after firing the eight.India maintained the pressure in the second set as well despite a slight dip in accuracy. The two teams ended in a 56-56 tie, allowing the Indians to extend their advantage to 3-1.With victory within reach, Deepika and co are under pressure once again. India scored another brilliant 58 in the third set as the Koreans faltered with 56 to seal a dominant 5-1 win.But the Korean team fielded an inexperienced combination in preparation for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan. Debutants Lee Yunji and Oh Yejin performed alongside reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung, while Olympic stars An San and Lim Sihyeon were absent.India survived the shootout dramaEarlier in the day, the Indian women recovered from a slow start to beat Uzbekistan 6-2 in the opening round.Their toughest challenge came in the quarter-finals against Vietnam. After the score was locked at 4-4, the match went into a thrilling shootout.Under pressure, India responded brilliantly, losing just two points from three arrows to secure a 28-25 shootout and secure their place in the semi-finals.The men take on BangladeshIn contrast, the Indian men’s recurve team of Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Yashdeep Bhoge put up a memorable match against Bangladesh.The trio failed to win a single set and struggled with consistency throughout the match.Bangladesh capitalized on India’s repeated mistakes to comfortably seal a 6-2 victory, leaving the Indians with an early exit from the competition.
