Gwangju

India's most decorated archer Deepika Kumari once again failed to rise above her familiar inconsistency, crashing out in the round of 32 at the World Championships here on Thursday, while 15-year-old Gatha Khadake shone bright to become the lone recurve archer from the country in pre-quarterfinals.

Despite being pre-seeded into the third round after a sixth-place finish in qualification, the four-time Olympian Deepika was outshot by Indonesia's unheralded Diananda Choirunisa in a five-setter.

All eyes will now be on 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 red-hot 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 manages to win the country its first medal in recurve section, since Den Bosch in 2019.

In this edition, India have won a historical men's team gold and mixed team silver, both coming in the compound section.

Deepika' downfall

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

Deepika began poorly with a 25 against Diananda's 27 to trail 0-2. She recovered in the second with a 28 to level 2-2 as her rival faltered, but consistency deserted her again.

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

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

For Deepika, it was yet another early exit from the Worlds -- her sixth campaign without a medal -- underlining the big gulf between her reputation and results on the sport's biggest stage.

Gatha on rise

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If Deepika floundered, Gatha displayed composure and precision, defying her age.

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

She cruised past 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) while showing consistency and control.

Her biggest test came in the third round against the 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 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 sealing her berth as India's third recurve woman at the Worlds 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.

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