Daijiworld Media Network - Saltillo

Saltillo (Mexico), Sep 14: Sixteen years after Jayanta Talukdar put India on the podium, Dhiraj Bommadevara scripted history by becoming the first Indian male archer to win the Archery World Cup Final in the men’s recurve division.

The 25-year-old Army archer, ranked world No. 10, defeated Japan’s Nakanishi Junya 6-5 in a thrilling final in Saltillo. With the contest tied 5-5 after five sets, Dhiraj held his nerve in the shoot-off, firing a perfect 10, while Nakanishi managed a nine.

The victory marked a breakthrough for Dhiraj, who had returned without a medal from his previous two World Cup Final appearances in 2023 and 2024. This time, he negotiated the knockout rounds with authority before facing world No. 20 Nakanishi in a closely fought title battle.

Neither archer was prepared to give an inch in the final. The five sets ended 28-28, 28-29, 29-28, 28-30 and 28-27, leaving the gold to be decided in the shoot-off.

Dhiraj’s triumph also rewrote India’s record at the prestigious season-ending event. Talukdar had won bronze in Edinburgh in 2010, but no Indian male archer had previously won the World Cup Final title since the tournament’s inception.

India’s only other individual World Cup Final champion remains Dola Banerjee, who won the women’s title in Dubai in 2007. Dhiraj’s victory therefore gives India its first World Cup Final gold in 19 years.

Deepika Kumari remains India’s most decorated archer at the event, having won six World Cup Final medals — five silver and one bronze — in eight appearances.

For Dhiraj, Saltillo marked the culmination of his third attempt at the prestigious event. After two medal-less campaigns, the Army archer finally converted his third World Cup Final appearance into the biggest title of his career, opening a new chapter for Indian men’s recurve archery.