Saltillo (Mexico), Sept 2026 : Sixteen years after Jayanta Talukdar put India on the podium at the Archery World Cup Final, Dhiraj Bommadevara created history by becoming the first Indian male archer to win the prestigious season-ending event in the men’s recurve division.
The 25-year-old Army archer, ranked world No. 10, defeated Japan’s world No. 20 Nakanishi Junya 6-5 in a thrilling final in Saltillo. With the contest level at 5-5 after five closely fought sets, Dhiraj held his nerve in the decisive shoot-off, producing a perfect 10 while Nakanishi could manage only a nine.
The victory marked a major breakthrough for Dhiraj, who had previously competed at the 2023 and 2024 World Cup Finals without winning a medal. On his third appearance, he successfully negotiated the knockout stages before producing his best performance when the stakes were highest.
The final remained fiercely competitive throughout, with neither archer able to establish a decisive advantage. The scores across the five sets were 28-28, 28-29, 29-28, 28-30 and 28-27, leaving the gold medal to be determined by a single arrow in the shoot-off.
Dhiraj's composure under pressure proved decisive. His 10 in the shoot-off put the title within reach, and when Nakanishi followed with a nine, the Indian archer celebrated the biggest individual achievement of his career.
The historic triumph also rewrote India’s record at the World Cup Final. Talukdar had previously won a bronze medal at the 2010 edition in Edinburgh, but no Indian male archer had managed to claim the coveted gold since the tournament’s inception.
Dhiraj is only the second Indian to win an individual Archery World Cup Final title. The first was Dola Banerjee, who captured the women’s recurve crown in Dubai in 2007. Her triumph came 19 years before Dhiraj’s historic success in Saltillo.
India’s most decorated archer at the season-ending tournament remains Deepika Kumari. Across eight appearances, she has won six individual World Cup Final medals, comprising five silver medals and one bronze.
Dhiraj’s achievement, however, establishes a landmark of its own in Indian archery. His success comes after two previous World Cup Final campaigns ended without a medal, making the gold in his third appearance particularly significant.
The Army archer’s victory not only ends a long wait for India in men’s recurve at the World Cup Final but also opens a new chapter for Indian male archery on the international stage.
With a composed performance in the knockout rounds followed by a remarkable display of nerve in the final shoot-off, Dhiraj has now secured his place in Indian archery history as the country’s first male World Cup Final champion.
