India’s Deepika Kumari Clinches Silver Medal at Archery World Cup Final 2024
Indian archer Deepika Kumari added another feather to her cap by winning a silver medal in the women’s recurve event at the Archery World Cup Final 2024, held in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Despite her strong performance throughout the tournament, Deepika lost 0-6 to Li Jiaman of the People’s Republic of China in the final on Sunday.
The 30-year-old archer, who also competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics. She howcased her talent in the earlier rounds of the tournament. She delivered a commanding 6-0 win over Li’s teammate Yang Xiaolei in the quarter-finals and followed it up with a 6-4 victory against Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia in the semi-finals, in what turned out to be a closely fought contest on Valencia’s home ground. Valencia eventually secured the bronze medal.
This silver medal marks Deepika Kumari’s sixth World Cup medal, continuing her legacy as one of India’s top archers. Reflecting on her achievement, she said, “It’s an honour to be part of this World Cup and to win a medal. Now, I’m going to work even harder after that.”
The final match saw Li Jiaman claim victory in her first appearance at the World Cup Final. Li mentioned that while her first match was tense, the subsequent rounds were more challenging but allowed her to stay calm and focus on delivering her best arrows without worrying about the outcome.
India’s five-member team, comprising three compound archers and two recurve archers, concluded their campaign at the season-ending event with Deepika Kumari’s silver being the sole medal.
Deepika’s performance at the Archery World Cup Final continues to inspire young athletes, showcasing her dedication and determination to excel on the world stage.
Deepika Kumari’s archery career is filled with exceptional milestones. She won three Archery World Cup silver medals consecutively in 2011, 2012, and 2013. And She is howcasing her consistency at the highest level. In addition to her World Cup successes, Deepika has excelled in multi-sport events as well. She won two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. One in the individual recurve event and another in the team recurve category, further establishing her dominance in the sport.
Her achievements also include a bronze medal in the team event at the 2010 Asian Games. Deepika’s remarkable contributions to Indian archery earned her prestigious honors, such as the Arjuna Award in 2012. Four years later, in 2016, she was conferred with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards.
Her recent silver medal at the 2024 Archery World Cup Final adds to her already illustrious collection of accolades.
