Archery World Cup: India men's recurve team reach final; Abhishek in compound semis

Overcoming jet lag and travel chaos, Dhiraj Bommadevara delivered under pressure to guide the Indian men’s recurve team into the final of the 2025 Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Florida, assuring the nation its second medal of the tournament.

The fifth-seeded Indian team – comprising Dhiraj, veteran archer Tarundeep Rai, and Olympian Atanu Das – outclassed Spain 6-2 in the semi-finals on Thursday. India will now face third-seeded China in the gold medal match scheduled for Sunday.

Dhiraj's arrival in the US was delayed due to visa issues, and he landed only hours before the competition. Despite this, he showed admirable composure, holding his ground alongside his experienced teammates in a tightly fought match.

The opening set was tied at 54-54, but the Indian trio edged ahead in the second with a narrow 55-54 win. Holding a 3-1 lead, they matched Spain 56-56 in the third before sealing the victory in the fourth, shooting a solid 56 to Spain’s 53, which included two costly 8s.

India had already bagged a bronze medal in the compound men’s team event earlier this week, making this their second assured podium finish at the season’s first World Cup.

Women’s recurve team falls short

In contrast, the Indian women’s recurve team – Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Anshika Kumari – bowed out in the quarterfinals after a 2-6 defeat against hosts USA.

Like their male counterparts, they too were affected by delayed arrivals, which appeared to impact their rhythm and focus.

The Americans started strong with a 56 in the first set, while India managed only 52. The second set ended in a 52-52 tie, followed by another draw at 55-all in the third. However, Team USA finished with a clinical 58 in the final set, while India faltered again with 53.

Abhishek Verma reaches semi-finals

Later in the day, the experienced Abhishek Verma made his way into the semi-finals of the compound men's individual event.

Abhishek got the better of Tim Jevsnik of Slovenia in the 148-146 in the quarter-finals.

He will now take on Mexico's Sebastian Garcia in the semi-finals.

Abhishek, who had finished 12th in the qualification round, had earlier beaten two Danish archers – Rasmus Bramsen and Martin Damsbo – in the second and third round respectively.

On the other hand, the reigning men's compound world champion Ojas Deotale bowed out in the Round of 16 following a 150-146 loss to Mathias Fullerton, while Rishabh Yadav fell to a 147-148 loss against Sirapop Chainak in the second round.

In women's individual compound, veteran Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost out to USA's Alexis Ruiz 144-148 in the second round. She was India's only representation in the event as the others including reigning world champion Aditi Swami could not reach the event due to visa issues.