Nanami asakuno

Olympian Dhiraj Bommadevara: India’s recurve archers once again came up short on the big stage as the women’s team fell to South Korea in the bronze medal playoff, while the mixed pair and men’s individual hopes also ended in disappointment at the World Championships on Wednesday.

Desperate to end a decade-long medal drought in the recurve section, the women’s trio of Deepika Kumari, Gatha Khadake and Ankita Bhakat went down 3-5 against the formidable hosts. It was a missed opportunity for India, as the Koreans looked far from their dominant best with erratic shooting and no perfect set to their name.

After losing the opening set 51-54, India roared back with four 10s in the second to tie 57-57, unsettling a Korean unit that has won Olympic gold ten times in a row. Riding on that momentum, they clinched the third set 57-54 to draw level at 3-3, raising hopes of a breakthrough medal. But when the contest came down to the decider, the Koreans—led by Olympic champions An San and Lim Si-hyeon—held their nerve to take the fourth set 56-54 and the match 5-3.