India’s Olympian archer Deepika Kumari failed once again, crashing out in the round of 32 at the World Championships. With her exit, all roads now lead to Rome as the whole Indian archery fraternity turns its attention to the 15-year-old Gatha Khadake from Maharashtra, who has risen above expectations to become the lone Recurve archer from the country in the pre-quarterfinals.

After a sixth-place finish in qualification, the four-time Olympian Deepika was outsmarted by Indonesia’s unseeded Diananda Choirunisa in a five-setter, ending her campaign early.

With Deepika out, all eyes are now on Gatha, who in Friday’s round of 16 will probably face the toughest challenge in her budding career against reigning Paris Olympic champion and world’s number one-ranked 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 the 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.

Gatha, 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 for the international competitions behind Deepika and Ankita.

The rivalry between the veteran and the prodigy had rumbled since the National Games in Uttarakhand where they clashed in a tense shoot-off semi-final.