India's Archery Setback: World Cup Hopes Dim as Teams Stumble

India's archery teams faced an unexpected early exit in the Archery World Cup Stage 4 events, marking a disappointing start to their campaign. Both the recurve men's and women's teams were eliminated in their opening-round matches on Thursday.

Under the guidance of former Commonwealth Games champion Rahul Banerjee, the women's team experienced a disheartening defeat against lower-seeded France, despite initially leading 3-1. The trio of Ankita Bhakat, Deepika Kumari, and debutant Gatha Khadake struggled under pressure, losing 3-5.

The men's team, seeded ninth, also saw a premature exit against eighth-seeded Brazil, with Dhiraj Bommadevara, Rahul Singh, and Neeraj Chauhan falling short at 2-6. With low individual rankings, the team's hopes hinge on their performance in the mixed and individual events.

(With inputs from agencies.)