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Kumari returns to form, eyes first World Cup gold in four years

9 May 2025

Shanghai, China

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Deepika Kumari aiming during Shanghai 2025 eliminations.

Deepika Kumari convincingly beat reigning circuit champion Li Jiaman to reach the recurve women’s final four at the second stage of the season in Shanghai this afternoon.

Kumari, seeded 12th, entered the quarterfinals as the second-lowest ranked archer remaining – only Türkiye’s Dunya Yenihayat was lower at 19th – but delivered a sharp performance. She posted sets of 28, 28, 26 and 29, which left Li unable to respond, to seal a commanding 6-2 win.

“I don’t expect anything because after the Olympics I’m working with so many things with my technique and mindset,” the 30-year-old said after reaching a World Cup stage final four for the 12th time. “It’s like totally new for me. It’s really difficult for me right now, so I’m trying to achieve the best of myself.”

“I think it’s improving, maybe that’s why it went so well today.”

One notable aspect of Kumari’s performance at the Yuanshen Sports Centre was the time she took to apply her shots.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games winner gave herself the opportunity to reset herself, shooting with full conviction rather than rushing any arrows. Her experience was shining through, and so was her growing mental confidence, which she credited to her new coach Rahul Banerjee, a London 2012 Olympian.

“It’s still not good, but it’s much better than before,” she said. “I just let down for four arrows throughout the afternoon, but before, it would have been countless. It’s improving and I’m happy with myself.”

Runner-up at Tlaxcala 2024, Kumari has medalled 11 times out of her 12 World Cup stage semifinal appearances (three gold, four silver and four bronze).

Kang Chaeyoung focusing before the shot in Shanghai 2025 eliminations.

Thus history bodes well for Kumari, but the challenge ahead is clear: she will have to go through the inevitable Koreans to win her first gold on the circuit since Paris 2021.

Indeed, three of Korea’s four recurve women archers reached Sunday’s semifinals: Lim Sihyeon, Kang Chaeyoung and Lee Gahyun. Lim, the reigning Olympic Champion from Paris 2024, defeated Tokyo 2020’s An San in the quarterfinals.

The Riverside Financial Plaza, the venue for all Shanghai medal matches, is a welcome sight for Kang especially after missing all of Korea’s 2024 World Cup squads. But the Tokyo 2020 team gold medallist said a year away from the shooting line wasn’t the worst thing for her career.

“I was quite sad when I didn’t make the national team last year,” said the 2019 Asian Champion. “But as time passed, it gave me a moment to reset, and coming here, now I feel refreshed.”

While Korea dominated in the recurve women’s bracket, the men’s field was a different story, with all-time great Kim Woojin the nation’s sole representative in the last four.

He’ll face India’s Parth Sushant Salunkhe, the 60th seed out of 64 qualifiers, who produced one of the day’s biggest surprises.

In the other semifinal, France’s starboy Baptiste Addis is set to face Matias Grande of Mexico.

Action in Shanghai now shifts to the Riverside Financial Plaza in Pudong, with compound finals kicking things off on Saturday.