India's most decorated archer Deepika Kumari once again failed to rise above her inconsistent performance, crashing out in the round of 32 at the World Championships on Thursday, while 15-year-old Gatha Khadake became the only recurve archer from the country to reach pre-quarterfinals.
Despite being pre-seeded into the third round after a sixth-place finish in qualification, four-time Olympian Deepika was outshot by Indonesia's unheralded Diananda Choirunisa in a five-setter.
All eyes will now be on Friday's round of 16, where Gatha faces the toughest challenge of her budding career against reigning Paris Olympic champion and World No 1 Lim Si-hyeon. The 22-year-old Korean, who is in top form, had eliminated Ankita Bhakat 6-2 with six perfect 10s across two sets.
For India, the young Gatha remains their last hope, and it remains to be seen if the debutant from Pune manages to win the country its first medal in recurve section since Den Bosch in 2019. In this edition, India have won a historical men's team gold and mixed team silver, both medals coming in the compound section.
Also read: Indian archers miss the mark, bow out in quarterfinals
Former World No. 1 Deepika, who has failed to win a medal in multiple Olympics, began poorly with a 25 against Diananda's 27 to trail 0-2. She recovered in the second with a 28 to level 2-2 as her rival faltered, but consistency deserted her again. The Indonesian slammed in two 10s and a 9 in the third set, forcing Deepika into the red ring for a 27-29 defeat, slipping to 2-4.
Deepika's best came in the fourth set with a 29, but Diananda matched her arrow for arrow to stay 5-3 ahead. Needing to win the decider, Deepika faltered with an 8, the set ending 27-27, enough for Diananda to move through 6-4.
For Deepika, it was yet another early exit from the Worlds, her sixth campaign without a medal, underlining the big gulf between her reputation and results on the sport's biggest stage.
If Deepika floundered, Gatha displayed composure and precision, defying her age. Seeded 14th after her 666 points in qualifying, the teenager had to start from Round 1. She cruised past Azerbaijan's Fatima Huseynli 7-1 (26-26, 27-25, 27-26, 28-24) and blanked Britain's Thea Rogers 6-0 (28-27, 27-26, 29-28) while showing consistency and control.
Her biggest test came in the third round against World No. 8 German Olympian and former World Cup bronze medallist Michelle Kroppen Bauer. But Gatha, ranked 176th in the world, showed no fear. Across 15 arrows in the contest, Gatha shot three sets of 28 and never dropped below 27, her worst being a solitary 8, showing an astonishing level of control for her age.
Gatha opened with a 28-26 win, capitalising on Bauer's early 8. The German responded strongly in the second set with two 10s, but a costly 7 meant it ended 27-27. Bauer edged the third 28-27 as Gatha's lone 8 left her trailing 3-3 overall. But the youngster showed remarkable steel under pressure. She shot a perfect 10 and two 9s for another 28-28 draw in the fourth, tying the match 4-4.
In the decider, she held her nerve with one 10 and two 9s for a 28, while the German failed to find a 10. The 6-4 triumph sealed Gatha's place in the last-16, making her the only Indian recurve archer to progress that far.
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