Indoor World Cup: Deepika gives India sole medal

Deepika Kumari won the bronze medal in the women’s recurve bronze play-off.

Deepika Kumari defeated 13th seeded Sayana Tsyrempilova of Russia 7-3.

India secured a solitary bronze medal, gained by Deepika Kumari, at the Indoor Archery World Cup Stage 2 that concluded here on Sunday. Deepika, seeded third, defeated 13th seeded Sayana Tsyrempilova of Russia 7-3 in the women’s recurve bronze play-off to bring some smiles to the Indian camp after the men’s top seed Atanu Das crashed out in the second round.

It was a disappointing end to its campaign, close on the heels of the overwhelming success at the Asian Championship in Dhaka, where it bagged a rich haul of nine medals — three gold, four silver and two bronze.

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Deepika got past three of her team-mates — Nivetha Ganesan 6-0, Laishram Bombayla Devi 7-3 and Ankita Bhakat 6-2 — to make the last-four. But Korean second seed Kim Surin shattered the former World No. 1’s gold medal dream with a thrilling 6-5 win in the shoot-off (10-9) and Deepika had to settle for third place.

Eliminated

Monika Saren, the fifth Indian in the draw, was blanked 0-6 by the eventual silver medallist Surin in the last-16. None of Indian male archers could make the quarterfinals.

Das, who topped the qualifications, could not replicate that when it mattered most. He made a round-two exit with a 3-7 loss to the 16th seed and eventual silver medallist Matteo Fissore of Italy. In an all-Indian first round clash, 12th seeded Jayanta Talukdar beat Rahul Banerjee 7-3, but lost 2-6 in the very next round to the fifth seeded Kim Joo Wan of Korea.

Swami Indrachand, seeded 10th, won his first round with a comfortable 7-1 win over China’s Peng Cheng only to face a 2-6 defeat at the hands of Plihon Pierre in the next round. Atul Verma and Akhil Choudhary lost their respective openers.