Image Source: The Bridge
India's archery squad presented a magnificent performance in the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, securing a total of seven medals, including Deepika Kumari and Parth Salunkhe, who were awarded bronze medals in the individual recurve events.
Four-time Olympian and India's most successful archer Deepika Kumari displayed incredible resilience after a heart-wrenching 1-7 semi-final defeat to reigning Olympic champion Lim Sihyeon of Korea. Deepika defeated Korea's Olympic team gold medallist Kang Chaeyoung in the bronze medal match 7-3 in a five-set thriller. With a perfect 30 in the fourth round and an almost perfect 29 in the fifth, Deepika won her 12th individual World Cup medal, shutting out a Korean sweep in the women's recurve division.
"I knew I had to keep calm and cool. After the semi-final, I just kept thinking about enjoying the moment and giving my best. It feels great to win against such high-level competition," Deepika said after her victory.
In men's recurve, Parth Salunkhe, 21, claimed his first World Cup medal. After a 4-6 semi-final defeat against Korea's Kim Woojin, Parth rebounded in the bronze match against France's Baptiste Addis. Displaying nerves of steel, Parth took a 6-4 game, collecting consecutive 10s in the final set to seal the medal.
It's an incredible experience… To have won my first medal on the World Cup platform, and that too from such a competitive pool of athletes, gives me tremendous confidence. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to represent India and end up on the podium," Parth revealed. India's tally at the Shanghai tournament was two gold, one silver, and four bronze medals. The compound archers contributed heavily, with Madhura Dhamangaonkar winning gold in the women's individual event, gold for the men's compound team, and other medals in team and mixed events.
With Olympic qualification on the agenda and the next World Cup venue in Antalya looming on the horizon, India's archers have put in a decent start to the season, particularly in the very competitive recurve competition.
Source: Times of India
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