Rutvick Mehta Rutvick Mehta
Apr 13, 2025 10:14 PM IST
China defeated India 5-1 in the recurve men’s team final at the Archery World Cup Stage 1, securing silver for India and marking Das’s comeback.
Mumbai: A dynamic and inspired Chinese trio stopped India’s quest for gold in the recurve men’s team final of the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Central Florida on Sunday. China, ranked fourth, wrapped things up with a set in hand, winning 5-1 victory, as third-ranked India took silver.
The Indian team of Dhiraj Bommadevara — he landed in the USA in the nick of time for the tournament after visa delay — Tarundeep Rai and Atanu Das were a bit inconsistent against Li Zhongyuan, Kao Wenchao and Wang Yan, who cranked it up after a tied first set.
The silver was India’s third medal from the season-opening World Cup, after bronze by the compound men’s team and gold by the compound mixed team, days after the event was included the 2028 LA Olympics much to the delight of the compound community.
The medal also marked a confidence-boosting return to the national fold for Das. Part of India’s silver-winning team at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, the 33-year-old could not come through the trials for the 2024 season. The two-time Olympian missed the Paris Games where Pravin Jadhav took his place and the men’s team crashed out in the quarter-finals.
Having rejigged his training and coaching setup, the archer from Kolkata returned and broke into the Indian team again.
“Last year was not so good for me in archery… I was desperate to get back into the team, win medals for India, win medals for myself and improve,” Das told World Archery.
It was Das who found the first 10 for India after a somewhat shaky start of 9 and 8 by his teammates. Rai then hit 10 to put India in a good position to take the first set before Das’s faltering 8 left them to share a point and the first set 54-54.
That’s when the Chinese trio upped its game and body language. With plenty of chatter and vigour, China fired three 10s to kickstart the second set that only Bommadevara could match. With a couple of 9s and another 10, China put themselves out of India’s reach to march through the second set 58-55.
Under pressure to stay alive, Bommadevara did not give the brightest start to the third set as his 8 meant India were playing catch up all through. Despite 10s from Rai and Das and only a second 8 from the opponents’ bow, the set went China’s way 55-54.
