Indian recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara created history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win gold at the World Cup Final, edging Japan’s Nakanishi Junya in a thrilling shoot-off.
The 25-year-old Army archer, ranked World No. 10, defeated the World No. 20 Japanese 6-5 in a five-set final before sealing the title 10-9 in the shoot-off. Nakanishi had taken a 5-3 lead, but Dhiraj fought back in the final set to force the decider and then struck a perfect 10.
The victory ended a 16-year wait for an Indian male recurve archer to win a World Cup Final medal. Jayanta Talukdar was the last Indian man to claim one, winning bronze in Edinburgh in 2010.
Dhiraj had earlier defeated Turkey’s Berkim Tumer 7-1 in the quarterfinals and France’s Rio Olympics silver medallist Jean-Charles Valladont 7-1 in the semifinals.
He had reached the semifinals in his 2023 World Cup Final debut but missed the bronze.
Dola Banerjee remains the only other Indian to win World Cup Final gold, claiming the women’s title in 2007. Deepika Kumari has six medals.
Dhiraj now heads to Japan for the Asian Games, where he will lead India’s recurve campaign after winning team silver at the previous edition.
