Indian archer Dheeraj Bomadevara won the gold medal in the men’s recurve event at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final held in Saltillo, Mexico, creating a landmark moment for Indian archery.
In the title match on September 13, Dheeraj edged Japan’s Junya Nakanishi 6-5. After five sets ended 5-5, the contest went to a shoot-off, where the 25-year-old Army archer shot a perfect 10 to Nakanishi’s 9 to seal the championship.
With this victory, Dheeraj became the first Indian male recurve archer to win gold at a World Cup Final. He is also the first Indian man in the recurve category to reach the World Cup Final podium since Jayanta Talukdar’s bronze at Edinburgh in 2010.
Overall, Dheeraj is the second Indian archer to win gold at a World Cup Final, after Dola Banerjee’s triumph in the women’s recurve event in 2007.
Ranked 10th in the world, Dheeraj reached the final with commanding wins—defeating Turkey’s Olympic medallist Mete Gazoz Tumer 7-1 in the quarterfinals and France’s Olympic silver medallist Jean-Charles Valladont 7-1 in the semifinals.
