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India get back to recurve mixed team gold medal match four years after Antalya 2022

9 June 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

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Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara with a thumbs up at the target at Antalya 2026.

Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod may be one of the youngest pairs in the recurve mixed team category at Antalya 2026 - the third stage of this year's World Cup - but their rawness was no obstacle as they sailed through to the gold medal match on Thursday.

The pair are completely new this season and had only shot one match before in Puebla [stage one], where they succumbed to a disappointing second-round 5-3 loss to Brazil.

Their run in Türkiye was far longer than in Mexico, however, as they conceded only four set points throughout the afternoon session, beating Denmark 6-0, USA 6-2 and then Germany 6-2 to book Sunday's final against Korea.

It will be the nation's first gold medal match at a World Cup in recurve mixed team since 2022, which also happened to be in Antalya when Ridhi and Tarundeep Rai squeaked past Great Britain's Bryony Pitman and Alex Wise in a shoot-off 5-4.

“It's only possible because of our team, [it means a lot] especially because over many times since past few World Cups we've been having a hard time,” said Bommadevara, who has two World Cup mixed team bronzes to his name [Shanghai and Antalya 2024]. “We are doing well, we are shooting well, but it's like just the tiny things. You can say luck was not on our side, but luckily from now on I think luck is on our side.”

“We did well, and most importantly also today when we had the men's team match, we lost in the shoot-off. We shot pretty well, but we just lost by inches and the same happened at the previous two World Cups, but the good part is we didn't lose hope and we are continuing what we are doing.”

“Also, I really would like to thank my seniors, Atanu [Das] and Tarundeep. They've taught me many things like how to make the team stronger, how to have those conversations, everything, so I'm so lucky to have a team with me and with this result, I think we are happy.”

Whilst it is a different team that took gold in 2022, there is a similarity to be drawn.

Dhiraj Bommadevara of India and Katharina Bauer of Germany aiming alongside each other at Antalya 2026.

Partnered with the much more experienced Tarundeep at the time - a three-time Olympian by that point - Ridhi was 18 years of age, in the infancy of her career, but finished higher than her older female teammates in qualification at the Centennial Centre.

Dhaka 2025 Asian champion Bommadevara may not quite be at Rai's level in terms of competitions participated in yet - with Paris his only Olympic Games so far at 24 - but he is in his fifth consecutive season on archery's premier international circuit, whilst Mohod, at 17, is in her first.

One better than Ridhi, she has already tasted what shooting on the grandest stage of a World Cup feels like before Sunday after helping guide India to recurve women's team gold in Shanghai, where she shot the winning X in a shoot-off against the home country China.

Whilst Mohod will no doubt be leaning on Bommadevara for guidance as she did on 2010 Commonwealth Games champion victor Deepika Kumari last month, he will be relying on her clear talent arguably just as much, as the unique nature of mixed team at this stage of a World Cup is a new experience for him also.

Against the reigning Olympic gold medallists Korea is a mean feat for anyone, but without the lingering worry of Asian Games qualification in the back of their minds - India 's national trials completed after Shanghai - don't be surprised if an upset is caused at the Gloria Sports Arena.

“After finishing our trials, we have some clarity on what to do, and we have some things that we can experiment on, things we can learn from,” added Bommadevara. “The most important thing is we have some targets, short-term goals and long-term goals.

“Before trials we were so confused about what we needed to focus on: World Cups or trials, but now it's good that we are only focusing on World Cups and the Asian Games.”

Competition continues tomorrow morning for day four of Antalya 2026 with compound and recurve individual eliminations.