Saltillo [Mexico], September 14 (ANI): Indian recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara created historical past by profitable the boys’s particular person title on the Archery World Cup Final 2026 in Saltillo, Mexico, turning into the primary Indian male archer to assert a person crown on the season-ending occasion, in accordance with Olympics.com.
The 25-year-old defeated Japan’s Nakanishi Junya 6-5 in an exciting gold medal match that went right into a shoot-off. Dhiraj held his nerve below stress, hitting a ten within the deciding try and beat Nakanishi’s 9 and safe the most important particular person title of his profession.
With this achievement, Dhiraj turned solely the second Indian archer to win a person title on the Archery World Cup Final, following Dola Banerjee, who gained the ladies’s recurve title in Dubai in 2007.
Dhiraj, India’s lone consultant on the 2026 World Cup Final, produced a dominant run by means of the eight-player discipline. He started his marketing campaign with a convincing 7-1 victory over Olympic medallist Berkim Tmer of Trkiye within the quarter-finals earlier than defeating two-time Olympic silver medallist Jean-Charles Valladont of France 7-1 within the semi-finals.
The closing towards fourth-seeded Nakanishi was intently fought, with neither archer in a position to set up a transparent benefit. The opening set ended stage at 28-28, earlier than Nakanishi gained the second set 29-28. Dhiraj responded by taking the third set 29-28, however the Japanese archer regained the lead with a 30-28 fourth-set win.
Needing victory within the fifth set to drive a shoot-off, Dhiraj delivered below stress, profitable 28-27 to stage the match at 5-5 earlier than sealing the title within the decider, in accordance with Olympics.com.
Dhiraj’s triumph accomplished a formidable season after he certified for the World Cup Final by profitable the boys’s particular person recurve title on the third World Cup stage in Antalya. He additionally gained the blended crew gold alongside Kumkum Mohod on the similar occasion.
India completed the 2026 Archery World Cup season with seven medals throughout 4 levels in Puebla, Shanghai, Antalya and Madrid, together with 4 gold medals. Dhiraj was the nation’s solely particular person gold medallist after his Antalya and World Cup Final successes.
The Indian archer had beforehand competed on the World Cup Final in 2023 and 2024 however returned with out a medal on each events. His historic victory in Saltillo marked a breakthrough second in Indian recurve archery. (ANI)