Archery World Championships: Gatha Khadake Secures Pre-Quarters Berth, Deepika Kumari Shown Exit Door

Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 14:09 IST

Khadke got the better of Azerbaijan archer Fatima Huseynli 7-1 and and blanked Britain's Thea Rogers 6-0 before shocking Michelle Kroppen Bauer 6-4 to advance to the Ro16.

Gatha Khadake. (X)

Indian archer Deepika Kumari was dumped out in the round of 32 at the World Championships on Thursday as he inconsistency cost her, while 15-year-old Gatha Khadake shone brightly, becoming the sole recurve archer from India to reach the pre-quarterfinals.

Despite being pre-seeded into the third round after finishing sixth in qualification, the four-time Olympian Deepika was outshot by Indonesia’s lesser-known Diananda Choirunisa in a five-setter.

Attention now turns to Friday’s round of 16, where Gatha faces the toughest challenge of her budding career against the reigning Paris Olympic champion and world No. 1 Lim Si-hyeon.

The 22-year-old Korean, in excellent 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 can win the country its first medal in the recurve section since Den Bosch in 2019.

In this edition, India has won a historic men’s team gold and mixed team silver, both in the compound section.

The nerves were all too familiar for the former world No. 1 Deepika, who has failed to win a medal at multiple Olympics.

Deepika began poorly with a score of 25 against Diananda’s 27, trailing 0-2. She recovered in the second set with a 28 to level at 2-2 as her rival faltered, but consistency eluded her again.

The Indonesian shot 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 performance came in the fourth set with a score of 29, but Diananda matched her arrow for arrow to stay ahead 5-3.

Needing to win the decider, Deepika faltered with an 8, the set ending 27-27, which was enough for Diananda to advance 6-4.

For Deepika, it was yet another early exit from the World Championships—her sixth campaign without a medal—highlighting the significant gap between her reputation and results on the sport’s biggest stage.

While Deepika faltered, Gatha displayed composure and precision, defying her age.

Seeded 14th after scoring 666 points in qualifying, the teenager had to start from round one.

She easily defeated 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), 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 a lowly 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 set 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.

The Maharashtra teenager, who made her senior debut at the Madrid World Cup in July, had already shown her potential by reaching the pre-quarters there.

Earlier this year, she stunned everyone at the national trials by shooting 686 in qualification—the highest across genders—before securing her spot as India’s third recurve woman at the World Championships behind Deepika and Ankita.

The rivalry between the veteran and the prodigy had simmered since the National Games in Uttarakhand, where they clashed in a tense shoot-off semifinal.

But based on current form, it is the youngster who carries India’s hopes in the recurve section.

(With Inputs From PTI)

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