Indian compound archery teams suffered a setback at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, failing to secure a podium finish despite high hopes for medals ahead of the Asian Games.
The women’s team, consisting of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Pragati, and Aditi Swami, exited in the quarterfinals after losing 227–233 to Turkey. This came as a major disappointment, as they had won India’s only gold medal at the season-opening World Cup in Mexico. The Turkish trio of Hazal Burun, Defne Cakmak, and Emine Rabia Oguz took control from the second end, keeping a comfortable lead throughout the match.
The men’s team—Ojas Deotale, Sahil Jadhav, and Kushal Dalal—reached the semifinals but fell short under pressure. They lost 234–235 to the USA in the semifinals despite leading through the first three ends. In the bronze medal match, they tied with China at 234–234, forcing a shoot-off. The shoot-off also ended in a tie with each team shooting three perfect arrows, but China won because two of their arrows were closer to the center (X) compared to India’s one. India had led by one point at the halfway stage, but China fought back to level scores in the third end.
These defeats exposed India’s inability to hold nerve in critical moments—a worrying trend for a team that counts compound events as its biggest medal prospect. With less than four months to go for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the absence of a full-time foreign coach and lack of structured planning have raised concerns about India’s medal chances.
However, the mixed team pair of Ojas Deotale and Aditi Swami remains India’s only hope in team events. In individual sections, all Indian compound archers progressed to the round of 32. Abhishek Verma, Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, and Ojas Deotale won their matches. In the women’s draw, Madhura edged past China’s Wang Yue 148–147 but faces top-seeded Alexis Ruiz next. Jyothi, who finished 21st in qualification, bounced back with a perfect 150 to defeat Diana Yunussova. Former world champion Aditi beat Great Britain’s Isabelle Carpenter, while Pragati narrowly defeated Ong Madeleine Xue Li of Singapore 143–142.
On a brighter note, India’s recurve archers showed signs of recovery after a poor showing in Puebla. The women’s team, led by Ankita Bhakat with a top-10 finish (652 points), finished fourth in team rankings. Teenager Kumkum Mohod (651 points) was 11th, while veteran Deepika Kumari (also 651) finished 14th on X-count. The team is headed for a possible semifinal clash against South Korea, with a bronze medal as a realistic target.
In the men’s recurve section, Dhiraj Bommadevara finished seventh (679 points) to lead the team, but the overall effort lacked depth. Tarundeep Rai slipped to 29th (661), and Yashdeep Bhoge was 54th (653). India finished eighth in team rankings, drawing a potential quarterfinal against South Korea, making medal prospects slim. Atanu Das had a disappointing outing, finishing 67th with 643 points and missing the team cut. In mixed recurve, Ankita and Bommadevara ranked sixth.