Deepika Kumari (Image credit: X)
NEW DELHI: The Indian women’s team registered one of its biggest wins in recent years at the hands of 10-time Olympic champion South Korea to enter the final of the second stage of the Shooting World Cup on Thursday.The experienced trio of Dipika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenage shooter Kumkum Mohood produced a calm and precise performance to defeat the mighty Koreans 5-1 in the semi-finals and ensure India’s first medal of the tournament.
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The memorable victory sets up a gold medal showdown against second-seeded China on Sunday.While the women produced an exciting performance, the men’s team suffered a disappointing season after being eliminated in the opening round by Bangladesh with a sub-par 6-2 defeat.India led by Deepika outperforms KoreaFacing the most dominant nation in the sport, the Indian women showed remarkable composure from the first set.The fourth-seeded Indians opened strong with four perfect six-pointers and gave up just two points to win the first set 58-55. The Korean side looked unstable early on and struggled after the 8th launch.India maintained its pressure in the second set despite the slight decline in accuracy. The two teams finished tied at 56-56, allowing the Indians to extend their advantage to 3-1.
With victory within reach, Deepika and company once again performed under pressure. India hit another impressive 58 in the third set, while South Korea stumbled by scoring 56 points, winning 5-1.However, the Korean national team fielded an inexperienced squad in preparation for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan. Debutants Lee Yunji and Oh Yejin featured alongside current world champion Kang Chaeyoung, while Olympic stars An San and Lim Sihyeon were absent.India escapes penalty shootout dramaEarlier in the day, the Indian Women recovered from a slow start to defeat Uzbekistan 6-2 in the opening round.Their toughest challenge came in the quarterfinals against Vietnam. After the score ended 4-4, the match went into tense penalty kicks.India responded superbly under pressure, dropping just two points from three darts to win the shootout 28-25 and book a place in the semi-finals.The men are smashing against BangladeshIn contrast, the Indian men’s repeat team of Tarundeep Rai,
Dheeraj Bommadevara
Yashdeep Bhogi had a memorable outing against Bangladesh.The trio failed to win a single set and struggled badly with consistency throughout the match.Bangladesh capitalized on India’s repeated errors and cruised to a comfortable 6-2 win, leaving the Indian men with an early exit from the competition.