India’s compound archery teams, despite being strong medal contenders, suffered a disappointing outcome at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, failing to secure a podium finish after faltering in critical moments.
The women’s team, which had won India’s only gold medal at the season-opening World Cup in Mexico last month, was the biggest setback. The trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Pragati, and Aditi Swami crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing 227-233 to Turkey. The Turkish team, led by Hazal Burun, Defne Cakmak, and Emine Rabia Oguz, took control from the second end and never let go, sealing a comfortable six-point victory.
The men’s team of Ojas Deotale, Sahil Jadhav, and Kushal Dalal raised hopes by reaching the semifinals but faltered when it mattered most. They lost to the USA 234-235 in the semifinals despite leading through the first three ends. In the bronze medal match, India faced China and the scores were tied at 234-234, leading to a dramatic shoot-off. The shoot-off also ended level with three perfect arrows each, but China had two arrows closer to the centre (X) compared to India’s one, clinching the contest. India had led by one point at the halfway stage, but the Chinese fought back to level scores in the third end. A tense final end saw both teams tied at 58, with India dropping crucial points under pressure.
These twin losses once again exposed India’s inability to hold nerve in decisive moments, a worrying trend for a team that has long relied on compound events as their biggest medal prospect. With less than four months to go for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the results also underline deeper issues, including the continued absence of a full-time foreign coach and lack of structured planning. The mixed team pair of Ojas Deotale and Aditi Swami now remains India’s only hope in team events.
There was some respite in the individual section, as all Indian compound archers progressed to the round of 32. In the men’s draw, Abhishek Verma, Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, and Ojas Deotale won their matches. Verma is set to face Jadhav in an all-India round of 32 clash. Among women, 33rd seed Madhura edged past China’s Wang Yue 148-147 but faces a tough test against top seed Alexis Ruiz of the USA next. Jyothi, who had a disappointing 21st-place finish in qualification, bounced back with a perfect 150 to defeat Diana Yunussova of Kazakhstan. Former world champion Aditi, India’s best performer in qualification at 13th, dropped just three points in a convincing win over Great Britain’s Isabelle Carpenter. Pragati also survived a close contest, edging out Ong Madeleine Xue Li of Singapore 143-142.
The recurve qualification rounds are currently underway, but given their poor showing in Stage 1 and the presence of dominant Korean archers, India’s chances appear slim.