Women upset Korea to assure India’s first medal

India endured a mixed day at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 as the women’s recurve team assured the country’s first medal with a stunning semifinal win over record 10-time Olympics champions South Korea, but men suffered a disappointing opening-round exit against Bangladesh on Thursday.

The women’s team of seasoned Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod defeated a new-look Korean side 5-1 in the semifinals to set up a gold medal clash against second seed China on Sunday. But there was embarrassment for the men’s recurve team as veteran Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Yashdeep Bhoge failed to win a single set in a below-par 2-6 defeat to Bangladesh. However, the Indian women’s team maintained composure throughout a demanding day in which they won three consecutive matches.

The fourth-seeded Indians started strongly in the semifinal, shooting four 10s from six arrows and dropping just two points to take the opening set with a superb 58. The Koreans looked unsettled and managed only 55 after shooting an 8.

Slipped slightly in the second set with an 8 but still managed to tie at 56-56 and move 3-1 ahead. Needing just two more points to seal the match, the Indians again shot 58 in the third set, while the Koreans faltered under pressure and managed 56, handing India a memorable straight-set victory.

But the win came against an inexperienced Korean line-up which was fielded as part of their preparations for the Asian Games in Japan, less than four months away. The Korean team featured two debutants in Lee Yunji and Oh Yejin, while reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung was the only experienced archer in the side. Olympic champions An San and Lim Sihyeon, along with last year’s Shanghai gold medallist Lee Gahyun, were absent.

Earlier, the Indian women trio showed resilience to recover from a slow start and beat Uzbekistan 6-2 (53-56, 57-54, 55-54, 55-51) in the opening round.

Their toughest test came in the quarterfinals, edging past Vietnam 5-4 (28-25) in a tense shoot-off.

India began poorly with a 53 in the opening set after three 8s, allowing Vietnam to take a one-point lead.

But the Indians bounced back strongly to level the scores at 2-2 as Vietnam slipped to 49 following two 8s and a 6.

The Indians then moved 4-2 ahead by dropping just two points in the third set before losing the fourth set by one point (55-56) after another costly 8 forced the contest into a shoot-off.

Under pressure, the Indians responded brilliantly, dropping just two points from three arrows to clinch the shoot-off 28-25.

In contrast, the men’s team produced a forgettable performance against Bangladesh.

The Indian trio, who had qualified as the eighth seed, struggled for consistency and failed to win a single set in four rounds.

In the opening set, India shot three 8s and managed only 52, while Bangladesh shot 55 to take a 2-0 lead.

India again lacked composure in the second set and another seven pushed them to 54. Bangladesh also shot poorly but managed to tie the set 54-54 and extend their lead to 3-1.

The third set was another low-quality affair with both teams shooting 53 each.

Bangladesh finally raised their level in the fourth and final set as Abdur Rahman Alif, Ram Krishna Saha and Mohammed Mishad Prodhan dropped just three points to comfortably beat the Indians 57-53.

The mixed team elimination will get underway in the afternoon session.