How Did India's Men's Recurve Team Stun Korea to Win Gold?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- India's men's recurve team claims gold after defeating Korea in the finals.
- This marks India's first gold in this event since 2007.
- The victory was secured in a tight shoot-off.
- India also performed strongly in compound archery, winning multiple medals.
- Jyothi Surekha Vennam achieved her third individual gold in the championships.
Dhaka, Nov 14 (NationPress) In a stunning turn of events, India's men's recurve archery team triumphed over Korea in the finals, securing the gold medal at the Asian Archery Championships held here on Friday. This victory marks India's first gold in the men's recurve team category at these championships since 2007, breaking Korea's unbeaten streak since 2013.
The Indian squad, featuring Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge, Atanu Das, and Rahul, clinched the win with a tight score of 5-4 in a shoot-off. Both teams scored 29 during the shoot-off, but India emerged victorious as Rahul's arrow was closest to the center.
In other news, the recurve mixed team of Anshika Kumari and Yashdeep fell short in the bronze medal match against the Korean pair of Jang Minhee and Seo Mingi.
Later that day, five-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and Ankita Bhakat prepared for their recurve women's individual semifinal, while fellow Indian Sangeeta faced off against Paris Olympic silver medalist Nam Suhyeon.
In the men's individual competition, Dhiraj Bommadevara is set to challenge Korea's Jang Chaehwan, while Rahul will battle another Korean, Seo Mingi.
On Thursday, the compound archers secured five medals, concluding their campaign on a high note. The compound women’s final featured an all-Indian showdown, with reigning Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam winning her third individual gold at the Asian Championships, having previously triumphed in 2015 and 2021.
Vennam, who achieved a near-perfect score of 149 against Chen Si-yu from Chinese Taipei in the semifinals, overcame a fierce challenge from 17-year-old teammate Prithika Pradeep, a silver medalist from Winnipeg 2025, clinching the final by a narrow two-point margin (147-145).
Additionally, the Indian trio of Vennam, Prithika, and Deepshikha won the compound women's team gold, defeating Korea's team, which included Oh Yoohyun, Park Yerin, and Park Jungyoon.
Unfortunately, the men's compound team, led by world no. 10 Abhishek Verma and including Sahil Rajesh Jadhav and Prathamesh Bhalchandra Fuge, narrowly missed out on gold, finishing with silver after a close 229-230 loss to Kazakhstan.
In the mixed compound category, Verma and Deepshikha shone brightly, winning gold by defeating the local team of Bonna Akter and Himu Bachhar with a score of 153-155.