Indian recurve archers face setbacks in competition.

In a challenging day for Indian recurve archers at the Archery World Cup Stage-4 held in Madrid, both the men's and women's teams faced elimination in the quarterfinals against the United States. The men's team was decisively defeated with a score of 0-6, while the women's team also struggled, ending their match at 2-6.

Despite the team setbacks, individual performances stood out during the qualification rounds earlier in the week. B. Dhiraj, the Asian champion and gold medallist from Stage-3, achieved his season-best score of 691, securing the second position among male archers. Kirti also made headlines by recording her career-best score of 668, which placed her fourth among the women competitors.

The qualification results highlighted the strength of the Indian archers, with Dhiraj leading the men's team alongside Neeraj Chauhan, who finished eighth with a score of 677. Atanu Das and Yashdeep Bhoge followed, placing 26th and 54th, respectively. On the women's side, Kirti was joined by Kumkum Mohod, who ranked 14th with a score of 654, while Ankita Bhakat and Deepika Kumari both scored 654, finishing 15th and 16th, respectively.

In the elimination rounds, the men's team, consisting of Dhiraj, Chauhan, and Bhoge, received a bye in the first round and advanced by defeating Slovenia 6-2 in the second round. However, their journey ended abruptly against the U.S. team in the quarterfinals. The women's team, featuring Kirti, Mohod, and Bhakat, also received a bye and triumphed over Italy with a score of 6-2 before succumbing to the U.S. team.

As the competition progresses, the Indian archers will look to regroup and refine their strategies for future events, aiming to build on their individual successes despite the team losses in Madrid.