India’s Dhiraj Bhakat and Ankita Bhakat continued their impressive run at the Archery World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya, Turkey, securing their places in the men’s and women’s individual recurve semifinals, respectively.
Dhiraj showcased exceptional skill and determination, overcoming tough opponents in his path. He defeated Bangladesh’s Mohammed Sagor Islam 6-0, Indonesia’s Riau Salsabilla 7-1, Colombia’s Santiago Arango 6-4, and Germany’s Jonathon Vetter 7-3. This remarkable performance secured him a semifinal showdown against Korea’s Olympic and World Champion Kim Woojin. Meanwhile, fellow Indian archers Pravin Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai bowed out in the first round.
Ankita Bhakat followed suit, displaying her own prowess in the women’s event. She outmaneuvered Iran’s Mobina Fallah 6-4, Ukraine’s Veronika Marchenko 7-1, and China’s Li Jiaman 6-5 after a thrilling shoot-off (9-8). Her final victory against Korea’s Jeon Hunyoung 6-4 secured her a place in the semifinals against China’s top-ranked Yang Xiaolei. In the third round, Deepika Kumari faced a tough opponent in Yang, ultimately losing 6-5 (10-8). Bhajan Kaur encountered defeat in the second round.
The Indian recurve mixed team, featuring Bhajan and Dhiraj, received a bye in the first round and then dominated Great Britain 5-1 and Brazil 5-1. However, they fell to Korea 5-3 in the semifinals, securing a spot in the bronze medal match against Mexico on Sunday.
In the compound mixed team event, India’s top duo of V. Jyothi Surekha and Priyansh received a bye and defeated Estonia 158-156. But their journey ended in the quarterfinals with a 156-154 loss to Italy.
