Indian archer Dhiraj Bommadevara secures historic World Cup gold
Indian recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara achieved an unprecedented feat by winning the men’s individual title at the Archery World Cup Final 2026 in Saltillo, Mexico. He is now the first Indian male archer to secure an individual crown at this season-ending tournament. Before this victory, only Dola Banerjee had claimed an individual title for India, winning the women’s recurve event in Dubai back in 2007. 25-year-old Dhiraj faced Japan’s Nakanishi Junya in a tense gold medal match. They tied 5-5 after five sets, forcing a high-pressure shoot-off. Bommadevara kept his focus and shot a perfect 10, edging out Nakanishi’s nine to capture his biggest career victory.
The final was fiercely competitive from start to finish. They tied the opening set 28-28. Nakanishi took the second set 29-28, but Bommadevara quickly answered by winning the third set 29-28. The Japanese archer grabbed the lead again with a 30-28 score in the fourth set. Needing a win to stay alive, Bommadevara claimed the fifth set 28-27, pushing the match to its dramatic conclusion.
Being India’s only representative at the 2026 World Cup Final, he showed remarkable form against top competitors in the eight-player field. He started with a convincing 7-1 quarter-final win over Turkish Olympic medallist Berkim Tümer. He then defeated two-time French Olympic silver medallist Jean-Charles Valladont 7-1 in the semi-finals.
This victory capped off a stellar season for Bommadevara. He had previously qualified for the final by taking gold at the third World Cup stage in Antalya, where he also secured a mixed team gold alongside Kumkum Mohod. He previously competed at the World Cup Final in 2023 and 2024 but left without medals, making this year's success a true breakthrough for Indian recurve archery. India concluded the 2026 circuit with seven total medals across four stages, including four golds.
With Inputs from Agency Threads and image Courtesy: ANI
