Archery World Cup: Prithika Pradeep, 17, wins bronze, India take compound team silver in Madrid
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Prithika Pradeep, a 17-year-old compound archer from India, delivered a breakthrough performance at Stage 4 of the Archery World Cup in Madrid on Saturday, 12 July, claiming an individual bronze medal and anchoring India's silver-medal run in the women's compound team event. The double-medal showing marks her first World Cup podium appearance on the senior international circuit.
Prithika's Individual Bronze
In the women's individual compound bronze-medal contest, Prithika defeated Turkiye's Hazal Burun 145-142 in a composed display that belied her age. Her route to the medal match included a narrow 144-142 semifinal defeat to Malaysia's Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh, which denied her a shot at gold. The bronze adds to a growing international resume that already includes a silver at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka last year, cementing her status as one of India's most promising compound prospects.
India's Women's Compound Team Takes Silver
Earlier in the day, Prithika joined veterans Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi as India reached the gold medal match of the women's compound team event. The Indian trio ultimately fell 232-228 to top-seeded Colombia — represented by Sara Lopez, Alejandra Usquiano, and Mariana Rodriguez — and settled for silver.
Notably, India had entered the tournament as the seventh seed after posting 1024 in qualification. Their run to the final included wins over Denmark, hosts Spain, and third-seeded Republic of Korea, making the silver all the more significant given the field they navigated.
Men's Compound Events: Heartbreak by Margins
India narrowly missed the podium in the men's compound team event. Sahil Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru, and Kushal Dalal — the top seeds — lost the bronze medal match to Germany by the slimmest possible margin, 233-232, having earlier exited the semifinals via a shoot-off defeat to Mexico. The mixed compound team also bowed out in the quarter-finals, again to Mexico, in another shoot-off loss.
In individual men's compound, Rishabh Yadav was India's standout performer, reaching the quarter-finals, while Jadhav, Thirumuru, and Dalal exited in the third round.
Recurve Events Still to Come
India's Madrid campaign is not over. On Sunday, Kirti Sharma has advanced to the women's individual recurve semi-finals, and will also partner Dhiraj Bommadevara in the mixed team recurve bronze medal match against Italy. Two more medal opportunities remain for the Indian contingent.