Indian recurve teams crash out of medal contention in Archery World Cup Stage 2

Shanghai, May 8 (PTI) The Indian men's and women's recurve archery teams bowed out of medal contention at the World Cup Stage 2 here on Thursday, with the men finishing fourth and the women exiting in the pre-quarterfinals.

The men's team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Atanu Das, and Tarundeep Rai, seeded seventh, lost the bronze-medal match to the USA 3-5.

They narrowly lost the first set 56-57, with an arrow in the 8-ring proving costly. The American trio of Christian Stoddard, Brady Ellison, and Jack Williams then took a commanding 4-0 lead after dominating the second set 56-52.

The Indians faltered under pressure, shooting two arrows into the 7-ring and mixing two 9s and two 10s, including one X (closest to the centre).

Trailing 0-4, India fought back in the third set, edging the Americans 55-54.

However, their hopes of forcing a shoot-off were dashed as the fourth set ended in a 56-56 tie, with another crucial arrow landing in the 8-ring.

Earlier, the Indian men lost a tight semifinal to France in a shoot-off, 4-5 (25-26), relegating them to the bronze-medal match.

In the women's section, the team of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Anshika Kumari, who looked the most promising with a third-place qualification finish, made a shock exit in the pre-quarterfinals, losing to 14th-seeded Mexico 4-5 (26-27) in the shoot-off.

The Indian women started poorly with three 8s and a 7, losing the first set 49-50.

They followed up with another below-par round, dropping the second set 52-54 after again shooting three 8s.

Trailing 0-4, they posted a modest 52 in the third set, but Mexico faltered even more, managing just 45.

India capitalised with a 55-48 win in the fourth set to push the match into a shoot-off.

However, the Mexicans pipped the Indians in the decider 27-26 to seal their place in the quarters.

While India's recurve teams continue to struggle in pressure moments, their compound counterparts have been far more consistent.

On Wednesday, the top-ranked Indian men's and women's compound teams assured the country of two medals by reaching their respective finals, where they will face Mexico.

The contrasting fortunes once again highlighted India's urgent need for the revival of recurve squads in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. PTI TAP AM TAP AM AM