Top archer Deepika wins silver in Shanghai; India ended the campaign with 8 medals

Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari settled for a silver medal in the women's individual recurve event at the 2024 Archery World Cup Stage 1 after losing to world No. 2 Korean Lim Sih-yeon in the summit clash here on Sunday. The former world number one Indian suffered a 0-6 (26-27, 27-29, 27-28) defeat against top seed Lim to finish second on the podium.

Deepika made it to the last four by defeating sixth-ranked qualifier Jeon Hunyoung Jeon in the quarterfinals. She defeated Korean newcomer Nam Suhyeon in the semi-finals to advance to the finals along with Lim. The 29-year-old player could not join the Indian team in 2023 after becoming a mother at the end of 2022. His initial impact on his return to the international arena this week was minimal, with the team making an early exit in qualifying. However, he excelled in the individual event and finished second on the podium.

With Deepika's silver, India ended its campaign in the tournament with five gold, two silver and one bronze. Earlier in the day, the Indian men's recurve team of Tarundeep Rai, Dheeraj Bommadevara, and Praveen Jadhav achieved a remarkable victory by defeating defending Olympic champions South Korea and winning the gold medal. India won 5-1 (57) without losing a single set against their rivals. -57, 57-55, 55-53) and topped the podium in the season opener.