Guwahati: India’s top-ranked recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara scripted a historic achievement by becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win gold at the Archery World Cup Final.
The 25-year-old Army archer defeated Japan’s Nakanishi Junya in a dramatic shoot-off to clinch the men’s individual recurve title in Saltillo.
Ranked World No. 10, Dhiraj produced an impressive campaign, progressing through the quarterfinals and semifinals before facing World No. 20 Nakanishi in a closely contested final.
The match ended level at 5-5 after five sets, forcing a shoot-off. Dhiraj held his nerve to prevail 10-9, securing the gold medal in a tense finish.
The victory also ended a 16-year wait for India in the men’s recurve category at the prestigious World Cup Final. Jayanta Talukdar was the last Indian male recurve archer to win a medal at the event, claiming bronze at the 2010 World Cup Final in Edinburgh.
Dhiraj’s triumph also puts him in an exclusive group of Indian archers to have won individual gold at the World Cup Final. Dola Banerjee remains the only other Indian to achieve the feat, having won the women’s individual recurve title at the 2007 edition in Dubai.