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India crowns breakthrough week with recurve women’s team gold in Shanghai

10 May 2026

Shanghai, China

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In what could prove a preview of the Asian Games later this year, India upset home favourite China in the recurve women’s team final at Shanghai 2026 – stage two of the Hyundai Archery World Cup – to claim the nation’s first World Cup gold in the event since Paris 2021.

With Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and Yu Qi arriving as the form team of the outdoor season after securing gold at the opening stage in Puebla – and with Zhu and Huang having also claimed gold in Central Florida last year – it seemed as if Shanghai was China’s to take.

What the home nation could not forget, however, was that Deepika Kumari, Kumkum Anil Mohod and Ankita Bhakat had already defeated 10-time Olympic gold-medal-winning nation Korea earlier in the week, 5-1 – the margin of victory almost as surprising as the result itself.

China did not allow the Indian trio much room for comfort, with the teams trading set points throughout a tense final at Riverside Financial Plaza while both sides struggled at times to adapt to the constantly changing wind conditions.

Tied at 4-4, China opened the door in the deciding set with an 8-9-9 sequence.

That left Kumari needing at least a nine with the final arrow to secure India’s first World Cup recurve women’s team gold in five years – and smiling on the shooting line, she delivered exactly that.

“Last year was not too good, and last year I won a bronze medal here,” said the four-time Olympian. “I didn’t shoot well then, either individually or in the team, so you can say that I’m heading in a good direction.”

Kumari admitted she briefly lost focus earlier in the match after shooting a seven, distracted both by her own execution and the countdown clock beside teammate Bhakat.

With Bhakat also struggling under pressure late in the final, Kumari tried to calm the situation.

“I said to Ankita, ‘Don’t worry, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay, just calm down, I’m focusing on it.’”

Whilst Kumari averaged an impressive 9.22 and executed the crucial final arrow under pressure – perhaps the most difficult moment in an archery match – the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Champion was still not fully satisfied with her performances in Shanghai.

The 31-year-old finished 14th in qualification before losing 6-4 to reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung in the recurve women’s 1/8 eliminations.

Kumari has long carried the hopes of a huge archery nation at Olympic Games and Asian Games alike, but despite her extensive medal collection has yet to claim gold at either event. She was also part of India’s historic recurve women’s team bronze-medal-winning squad at the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games.

Should Kumari qualify for Aichi-Nagoya later this year, the expectation for her to finally break that deadlock – in what could potentially be her final Asian Games – will remain as high as ever.

“You saw this week, I’m still struggling,” she said. “I’m trying to gather myself to do better and better, and I hope for the best. That’s it.”

Kumari may not yet be satisfied with her shooting, but India’s archery fans will leave Shanghai encouraged after seeing one of the nation’s leading figures help guide the team past both Korea and China in the same week.

Competition in Shanghai concludes this afternoon with the recurve individual finals.