Young Archers Shine as India Eyes Medals at Archery World Cup

Emerging Talents Keep India's Medal Hopes Alive

Teen archers Kirti Sharma and Prithika Pradeep have successfully advanced to the semifinals in their respective categories, keeping India's aspirations for medals alive at the Archery World Cup Stage 4. However, seasoned competitors Dhiraj Bommadevara and Jyothi Surekha Vennam faced early exits on Friday.

In her first World Cup season, 19-year-old Kirti achieved a remarkable milestone by defeating World No. 11 Elia Canales from Spain in the women's recurve quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Prithika is just one victory away from securing her first World Cup medal in the women's compound event.

Both archers are now aiming for a double victory.

Prithika, along with teammates Jyothi and Chikitha Taniparthi, has already secured a spot in the final of the women's compound team event, ensuring at least one medal for the team.

The recurve mixed team, featuring Dhiraj and Kirti, will compete for a bronze medal on Sunday.

Kirti, seeded fourth after the qualification rounds, bounced back from an initial setback to defeat Canales with a score of 6-2 (27-29, 29-26, 27-26, 28-26), setting up a semifinal match against Turkey's Elif Gokkir.

Prithika, who made her World Cup debut at the same venue last year, triumphed over Spain's Andrea Munoz with a score of 140-135 in the women's compound quarterfinals, paving the way for a last-four clash with Malaysia's Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh.

Kirti began her journey from the round of 32, making a strong impression by defeating Germany's double Olympic medalist Michelle Kroppen 6-2 (30-23, 27-25, 25-22, 27-26).

She started with an impressive set of three perfect 10s and maintained her focus throughout the match against the seasoned German archer.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Kirti faced a tough challenge from Chinese Taipei's Li Tsai-Chi but emerged victorious with a score of 6-4 (29-27, 27-29, 27-25, 27-27, 28-28).

After sharing the fourth set, Kirti held her composure in the final set, with both archers scoring 28, allowing her to advance due to a higher number of set points.

She saved her best performance for the quarterfinal against Canales, where she initially lost the first set 27-29 but quickly rebounded with a strong 29 in the second set, leveling the match at 2-2.

Kirti then edged the third set 27-26 and sealed her victory with a final score of 28-26 in the fourth set.

Prithika also had a stellar performance in the compound event, narrowly defeating South Korea's Park Jungyoon 145-144 in the opening knockout round before showcasing her skills against USA's Liko Arreola, winning 147-146 in the pre-quarterfinals.

She carried her momentum into the quarterfinal, where she triumphed over Spain's Andrea Munoz 140-135.

On the other hand, the senior archers faced a disappointing day. Jyothi, who has struggled recently, seemed to regain her form by defeating fourth seed Wei Fangyao of China 148-146, only to lose a tightly contested pre-quarterfinal 146-147 to Turkey's Hazal Burun.

In the men's recurve category, India's top archer Dhiraj faced a heartbreaking quarterfinal exit despite a strong performance. After winning his first World Cup gold medal in Antalya last month, Dhiraj entered the elimination rounds as a favorite, having qualified second behind the legendary Korean Kim Woojin.

In a dramatic match against Germany's Leon Zemella, Dhiraj lost 5-6 after a shoot-off. After dropping the first set 27-28, he showcased his skills by shooting six perfect 10s across the next three sets, leading 5-3.

However, needing only a tie in the fifth set to secure victory, Dhiraj faltered with a score of 26, allowing Zemella to respond with a perfect 30, forcing a shoot-off. In the decisive one-arrow shoot-off, Zemella scored a nine, while Dhiraj's arrow landed in the eight-ring, concluding his campaign.