Archery World Championships: Dhiraj Bommadevara, Rahul, Neeraj Chauhan Bow Out In Individual Section

Indian men’s recurve archers bowed out of the individual rounds of the World Championships after failing to make it to the medal rounds following a disappointing outing on Wednesday.

Rahul, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan were all ousted from the individual event as they went down to Aleksandre Machavariani, Mete Gazoz and Bobrajabov Bekzod, respectively.

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Debutant Rahul stood out among the trio, reaching the third round (last-32) before narrowly losing 5-6 (8-10) to Georgia’s Aleksandre Machavariani in the shoot-off.

The 21-year-old held a strong 5-3 lead but faltered in the final two sets, once again revealing India’s mental weaknesses under pressure in the Olympic recurve category.

After a 28-all tie in the opening set, Rahul shot a perfect 30/30 in the second and edged the third 28-27 to go up 5-1. Needing only a draw in the fourth set, he stumbled with an 8 as Machavariani hit three 10s to stay in the match. The Georgian then won the fifth set 28-27, forcing a shoot-off where Rahul’s 8 was surpassed by his opponent’s perfect 10.

Olympian Bommadevara, the most experienced of the trio, faced the toughest challenge, encountering former Olympic champion Mete Gazoz in the opening round.

The top-ranked Indian lost 2-6 after drawing the first set 29-all. The second set was closely contested, but Gazoz’s two 10s gave him a 29-28 advantage.

The Turkish archer extended his lead to 5-2 with another 29-28 in the third set. Dhiraj drew the fourth set 29-all, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Gazoz from sealing the win.

Meanwhile, Chauhan was outclassed 0-6 by Uzbekistan’s Bobrajabov Bekzod, losing in straight sets 27-29, 27-28, 26-29.

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