Dhiraj Bommadevara led an impressive campaign for India at the Archery World Cup Stage 3 held in Antalya, where he secured a remarkable individual recurve gold medal. Alongside 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod, he also clinched the mixed team title, contributing to India's two-medal haul on Sunday.

At just 24 years old, Dhiraj achieved a stunning victory over Olympic bronze medalist Lee Woo-seok from South Korea, winning the men's individual recurve final with a score of 7-3. This victory marks Dhiraj's first gold medal at the Archery World Cup and is significant as it is India's first men's individual recurve gold since Atanu Das's win in 2021, as reported by Olympics.com.

Dhiraj's journey to the gold included a remarkable comeback in the semi-finals, where he overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat Germany's Moritz Wieser 6-4. This win adds to his collection of World Cup medals, bringing his total to four, including three bronze medals.

Earlier in the day, Dhiraj and Kumkum showcased their skills by defeating the top-seeded South Korean team of Oh Yejin and Kim Je-deok with a score of 5-1 in the recurve mixed team final. This victory makes them the third Indian mixed recurve pair to win gold at a World Cup stage, following the achievements of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das in Paris in 2021, and Tarundeep Rai and Ridhi in Antalya in 2022.

For Kumkum, this win adds to her impressive performance, as she was also part of the Indian women's recurve team that secured gold at the previous World Cup stage in Shanghai.

Despite the successes, India faced challenges in other recurve events. The women's team, consisting of Kirti, Ankita Bhakat, and Kumkum, was eliminated in the quarter-finals after a loss to the host nation, Turkiye. Meanwhile, the men's team was knocked out by the United States in the second round.

In the women's individual event, Deepika Kumari was the standout performer, reaching the pre-quarterfinals.

The performance of India's compound archers was disappointing, as they failed to secure any medals. The men's team, featuring Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru, narrowly missed out on the podium, losing the bronze medal match to Mexico by just one point after a semi-final defeat to the eventual champions, China.

The Antalya competition was the third of four stages in the Archery World Cup circuit, with the final leg scheduled to take place in Madrid next month.