Young Gatha stuns, veteran Deepika exits

India’s archery story at the World Championships took contrasting turns on Thursday: veteran Deepika Kumari endured yet another heartbreak with an early exit, while 15-year-old debutant Gatha Khadake displayed remarkable poise to storm into the pre-quarterfinals.

The seasoned campaigner Deepika, seeded sixth after a strong qualification, once again struggled with inconsistency. Facing Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa in the round of 32, the four-time Olympian fought hard but slipped at crucial moments to lose 4-6 in five sets. It was her sixth World Championships appearance without a medal, further highlighting the frustrating gap between her stature and results on the sport’s biggest stages.

In contrast, Gatha’s fearless run has injected fresh hope into India’s recurve challenge. Seeded 14th, the teenager showed maturity well beyond her age. She cruised past Azerbaijan’s Fatima Huseynli 7-1, blanked Britain’s Thea Rogers 6-0, and then stunned world No. 8 and German Olympian Michelle Kroppen Bauer 6-4 in a thriller. Holding her nerve in a tense decider, Gatha shot a steady 28 to seal her spot in the last 16.

The Maharashtra archer, ranked 176th globally, will now face her toughest test yet against reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 Lim Si-hyeon of South Korea. Lim’s dominant form was evident when she knocked out India’s Ankita Bhakat with six straight 10s.

For India, the teenager remains the sole recurve survivor in Gwangju, with hopes pinned on her to break the medal drought in 2019. At just 15, Gatha has already shown glimpses of becoming the country’s next big name in archery one capable of carrying forward the baton where veterans like Deepika continue to stumble.