Discover how India's recurve mixed pair, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kirti Sharma, narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 4 in Madrid after a strong start against Italy.
Key Points
- India's recurve mixed pair, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kirti Sharma, lost the bronze medal match 3-5 to Italy.
- The Indian duo initially held a promising 3-1 lead before Italy staged a comeback.
- Dhiraj Bommadevara, a previous World Cup champion, concluded his campaign without a medal from this stage.
- Kirti Sharma, making her World Cup debut, will compete in the individual semifinals, aiming for her first medal.
- India has secured two medals in the compound section at this World Cup stage, a women's team bronze and a Prithika Pradeep silver.
With the defeat, India's hopes in the recurve section now rest solely on Kirti, who will compete in the individual semifinals later on Sunday. A victory there would clinch the 19-year-old her maiden World Cup medal. Kirti made her World cup debut last month in Antalya.
India's Medal Tally At World Cup Stage 4
India have so far secured two medals at the season's final World Cup stage, both in the compound section on Saturday. The women's team claimed bronze, while Prithika Pradeep won a silver.
How The Bronze Medal Match Unfolded
Competing together for the first time, Dhiraj and Kirti began steadily, sharing the opening set 38-38. They maintained their consistency in the second set, dropping just two points for a score of 38, while the Italian duo of Roberta Di Francesco and Matteo Borsani managed 37, allowing the Indians to take a 3-1 lead. However, the momentum shifted in the third set as India shot an 8 and a 9, finishing with 37. The Italians raised their game, dropping just one point for a near-perfect 39 to level the contest at 3-3. In the decisive fourth set, Di Francesco and Borsani were flawless, shooting four 10s for a perfect 40. India could muster only 37, conceding the set and the bronze medal with a 3-5 defeat.
