Dhiraj Bommadevara Completes Golden Double With Maiden Individual World Cup Gold
Just hours after winning the recurve mixed team title with Kumkum Mohod, Dhiraj Bommadevara completed a memorable golden double in Antalya to clinch his maiden individual Archery World Cup gold.
Dhiraj Bommadevara completed a memorable golden double in Antalya, stunning Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Woo Seok of South Korea 7-3 in a gripping final to clinch his maiden individual Archery World Cup gold, just hours after winning the recurve mixed team title with Kumkum Mohod, on Sunday. The Indian Army archer, ranked 18th in the world, produced a composed display against the higher-ranked Korean to cap a breakthrough day in his career. Dhiraj raced to a 5-1 lead by taking the opening two sets 30-29 and 29-28 before sharing the third set 27-27.
Lee fought back in the fourth set, shooting two 10s and a nine to win it 29-27 as Dhiraj failed to find a perfect score, reducing the deficit to 3-5.
But the Indian did not let the momentum shift. Leading 5-3, Dhiraj closed out the contest in style with a flawless final set, drilling three consecutive 10s, including an X, to seal the gold medal.
Dhiraj returned to individual competition just a couple of hours after winning the recurve mixed team gold with Kumkum Mohod and he produced a remarkable comeback to defeat Germany's Moritz Wieser 6-4 in a hard-fought semifinal.
He slipped into the seven-ring with his second arrow and lost the opening set 26-27. The next two sets ended level at 28-28, leaving the Indian trailing 2-4 after three sets.
Facing elimination, Dhiraj responded emphatically, shooting three 10s to take the fourth set 30-27 and draw level at 4-4.
Under pressure in the deciding set, Wieser shot a wayward five with his second arrow. Dhiraj, however, held his nerve, returning scores of 9, 10 and 9 to win the set 28-23 and book his maiden World Cup final.
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