New Delhi: India’s women’s recurve team on Thursday scripted one of its biggest victories in recent years, defeating 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in style to enter the final of the Archery World Cup Stage 2.The experienced trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakta And teenage archer Kumkum Mohod produced a composed and clinical performance to beat the mighty Koreans 5-1 in the semi-finals and secure his first medal of the tournament.
The memorable victory set up a gold medal match against second-seeded China on Sunday.While the women had a sensational run, the men’s recovery team faced a disappointing campaign after going down 2-6 in the opening round against Bangladesh.Under the leadership of Deepika, India beat Korea.Facing the most dominant nation in the game, the Indian women showed extraordinary courage from the very first set.The fourth-seeded Indian started strongly with four perfect 10s from six arrows and dropped just two points to win the first set 58-55. The Korean side looked restless early on and struggled after conceding 8 goals.India maintained the pressure in the second set despite a slight drop in accuracy. The two teams were tied at 56-56, with the Indians extending their advantage to 3-1.With a win within touching distance, Deepika and company were once again under pressure. India scored another impressive 58 in the third set, while the Koreans failed with 56, to secure a dominant 5-1 win.However, the Korean team fielded an inexperienced combination as part of their upcoming preparations. Asian Games Japanese debutants Lee Yunji and Oh Yejin featured alongside reigning world champion Kang Cheung, while Olympic stars An San and Lim Sihyun were absent.India survived the shoot-off drama.Earlier in the day, 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. With the score tied at 4-4, the contest went into a tight shoot-off.India responded brilliantly under pressure, dropping just two points from three arrows to win the shoot-off 28-25 and book a place in the semi-finals.Men Crack Out Against BangladeshIn contrast, Tirundeep Roy’s Indian men’s recruiting team, Dheeraj Bomadeura And Yashdeep Bhoge endured an unforgettable dismissal against Bangladesh.The trio failed to win a single set and struggled badly with consistency throughout the match.Bangladesh took advantage of India’s repeated errors and cruised to a comfortable 6-2 victory, sending the Indian men out of the contest early.
