Dhiraj Bommadevara (born 4 September 2001) is an Indian recurve archer. He finished fourth in the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Bommadevara is a gold, silver, and multiple bronze medalist at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

. He also won a silver medal at the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

and a gold medal at the World Youth Championships.

Personal life

Dhiraj is from

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

in Andhra Pradesh. His father Bommadevara Shravan Kumar used to be a technical official of the

Archery Association of India Archery Association of India is the national governing body of archery in India. Its headquarters are located in New Delhi, and its current president is Arjun Munda, AAI is a non-profit, government funded organisation affiliated by World Ar ...

. He studied for a degree at the SRR and CVR Government Degree College, Vijayawada. He started archery at the Volga Archery Academy in Vijayawada in 2006. He joined Army in 2021 in the rank of

Havaldar Havildar or havaldar ( Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian and Pakistani armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry and armoured units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British serge ...

, after training at the Army Sports Institute in

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

for four years. He is backed by Olympic Gold Quest.

Career

Dhiraj was selected to represent India at the 2022

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He took part in the Indian Men's recurve team along with Atanu Das and Tushar Shelke and won the silver medal at the

2022 Asian Games The 2022 Asian Games (), officially the 19th Asian Games () and also known as Hangzhou 2022 ( zh, c=, s=杭州2022, labels=no), were a continental multi-sport event which was held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The ...

. They lost the final to

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Later in 2023, he represented India at the World Championships in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in the Men's team and individual events apart from the Mixed team event. In the same year, he also took part in the Men's team and Men's individual events at the World Cup at

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and in the Men's team, Men's individual and Mixed team events at the World Cups in Paris, France and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China. The next event in 2023, he won two bronze medals in the Men's team and Men's individual events at the World Cup Stage 3 at Medellin,

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. In September 2023, he took part in the World Cup at

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...

beating 5-time Olympic Champion

Kim Woo-jin (archer) Kim Woo-jin (; or ; born June 20, 1992) is a South Korean archer specializing in recurve archery. He first held the world number one ranking in 2011. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he set a world record in men's individual recurve archery as ...

Earlier in January 2022, he defeated Olympian

Tarundeep Rai Tarundeep Rai (born 22 February 1984) is an Indian archer from Sikkim. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021 by the Government of India for his contribution to sports. He is a three time Olympian. Early life Rai was born in Namchi, Sikkim, ...

in the Ranking tournament at

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. In 2021, he won a bronze medal in the Men's individual event at the World Cups in Guatemala City,

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

2024 Summer Olympics

Dhiraj made his first Olympic appearance in Paris in the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. After the ranking round, Dhiraj finished 4th (With a score of 681), making this one of the best rankings by an Indian archer in the Olympic Games. However, he lost 5-6(5+) to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's Eric Peters in a closely fought Men's Individual 1/16 Elimination Round. Dhiraj advanced to the quarterfinals in the Men's Team, along with Pravin Jadhav and

. However, the team lost to

's team 2-6. Dhiraj scripted history, with Ankita Bhakat by competing in India's first-ever Olympic medal in archery in the Mixed Team Bronze Medal Match but lost 2-6 to

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

's team.

References

External links

*
Dhiraj Bommadevara
at the

Paris 2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Dhiraj at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bommadevara, Dhiraj 2001 births Living people Indian male archers Archers from Andhra Pradesh Archers at the 2022 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in archery Asian Games silver medalists for India Medalists at the 2022 Asian Games Archers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic archers for India 21st-century Indian people