India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara has achieved a landmark feat in international archery.

The 25-year-old Army archer scripted history at the Archery World Cup Final in Saltillo, Mexico, becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win the prestigious individual title. And he did it the hard way.

Facing Japan’s Nakanishi Junya, the World No. 20, Dhiraj battled through a tense five-set final that went all the way to a shoot-off. After the match ended 5-5, the Indian held his nerve when it mattered most. Dhiraj shot a 10 to win the gold while Nakanishi managed a 9. 

From Comebacks to the Crown

Seeded second in the eight-man field, Dhiraj had already made a powerful statement earlier in the tournament. He defeated Türkiye’s Olympic medallist Berkim Tümer 7-1 in the quarterfinals before producing another dominant 7-1 victory over France’s Jean-Charles Valladont in the semifinals.

The final, however, demanded something more. Dhiraj found himself trailing 1-3 and later 3-5, but refused to let the match slip away. On both occasions, he fought back brilliantly to force the deciding shoot-off.

The final scores told the story of the battle: 28-28, 28-29, 29-28, 28-30, 28-27, followed by Dhiraj’s decisive 10 in the shoot-off.

Ending a 16-Year Wait

The victory also ended a long wait for India in the men’s recurve category. The last Indian male recurve archer to win a World Cup Final medal was Jayanta Talukdar, who claimed bronze in Edinburgh in 2010. Dhiraj has now gone a step further, becoming the first Indian man to stand on top of the podium at the event.

India’s only other individual World Cup Final gold in recurve came through Dola Banerjee, who won the women’s title in Dubai in 2007.

A Timely Boost

The historic victory comes at an important point in Dhiraj’s career. The World No. 10 had qualified for the World Cup Final after winning the individual title at World Cup Stage III in Antalya, where he also claimed mixed-team gold with Kumkum Mohod. After finishing without a medal at the 2023 and 2025 World Cup Finals, Dhiraj’s breakthrough in Saltillo marks a remarkable turnaround.

With the Asian Games approaching, the Army archer now has a major victory and plenty of confidence to carry forward. For Dhiraj, it was a dream come true. For Indian archery, it was a historic golden moment.