Dhiraj wins gold; Indian recurve history follows
Dhiraj Bommadevara beat Japan’s Junya Nakanishi 6–5 in a shoot-off at the Saltillo 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final.
Dhiraj Bommadevara won the men’s recurve gold at the 2026 World Cup Final after a 5–5 tie.
India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara won the men’s recurve gold at the Saltillo 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final on September 13, beating Japan’s Junya Nakanishi in a shoot-off.
The official scoring record shows both archers tied at 5–5 after five sets. Bommadevara then held his nerve for a 10 against Nakanishi’s 9. The set scores were 28–28, 28–29, 29–28, 28–30 and 28–27.
The result makes Bommadevara the first Indian man to win the World Cup Final’s individual recurve title, according to the available historical record. India’s previous individual recurve gold came through Dola Banerjee in 2007; Jayanta Talukdar’s 2010 bronze was the earlier Indian men’s recurve medal.
The distinction matters. Indian men had already won World Cup Final medals in compound archery, so this was not the first Indian male medal overall. It was the first in this recurve title. The bow, unlike several institutions, delivered exactly what the record promised.