Gwangju, South Korea — September 9, 2025: The Indian women’s recurve archery team, comprising Deepika Kumari, Gatha Khadake, and Ankita Bhakat, has advanced to the bronze medal match at the World Archery Championships, keeping India’s hopes alive for a podium finish in the recurve category. Meanwhile, the men’s recurve team suffered a disappointing first-round exit, and the compound archers failed to add to India’s existing medal tally.
Seeded third, the women’s team began their campaign with a dominant 5-1 victory over Slovenia, followed by a strong comeback against Turkey in the quarterfinals, winning 6-2 after dropping the first set. Their run was halted in the semifinals by Japan, who defeated India 6-2. Despite tying the first and third sets, India faltered in the fourth with a score of just 51, allowing Japan to secure a place in the final. India will now face South Korea in the bronze medal playoff, aiming for their first women’s team medal at the World Championships since 2015.
Deepika Kumari, a four-time Olympian and former world No.1, led the team with a sixth-place finish in qualification (677 points), followed by Gatha Khadake (14th, 666) and Ankita Bhakat (30th, 656). Their combined performance earned them a direct entry into the second round.
In contrast, the men’s recurve team—Neeraj Chauhan, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Rahul—ranked ninth in qualification but were upset by 24th-seeded Denmark in a shoot-off, losing 4-5 after scoring 26 against Denmark’s 28.
India’s compound archers also fell short in individual events. Parneet Kaur, the standout performer, finished fourth after narrowly losing the bronze medal match 144-145 to Colombia’s Alejandra Usquiano. Earlier, Parneet had defeated teammate Jyothi Surekha Vennam in the quarterfinals but lost a close semifinal to Sofia Paiz of El Salvador. Sixteen-year-old Prithika Pradeep exited in the pre-quarterfinals, while Jyothi, a seven-time participant, will return without a medal for the first time since 2017.
India has already secured two medals in the compound section—a historic men’s team gold and a mixed team silver won by Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam. The nation’s remaining hopes now rest on the women’s recurve bronze match, individual events, and the recurve mixed team competition, where Deepika Kumari will pair with Neeraj Chauhan.
