Neeraj Chauhan stuns Kim Je-deok to reach Asian Games recurve QF; Dhiraj advances
Synopsis
Neeraj Chauhan's 6-4 defeat of three-time Olympic team gold medallist Kim Je-deok is the biggest individual upset of India's Asian Games archery campaign so far. With Dhiraj Bommadevara also through and three Indian teams in the semi-finals, India is chasing not just medals but multiple LA28 Olympic quota places — the real prize at Okazaki.
Key Takeaways
Neeraj Chauhan defeated South Korea's Kim Je-deok 6-4 to reach the recurve men's individual quarter-finals at the 2023 Asian Games in Okazaki City .
Dhiraj Bommadevara advanced with a 6-2 win over Cheng Hsiang-Hui of Chinese Taipei.
Quarter-finals are on Saturday : Dhiraj faces Amirkon Sadikov (Uzbekistan); Neeraj faces Dorji Lam (Bhutan).
India's men's, women's, and mixed recurve teams all reached the semi-finals, scheduled for 2 October .
Eight LA28 Olympic quota places are on offer at the Asian Games across recurve and compound events.
India's best-ever Asian Games archery haul was nine medals (five gold) at Hangzhou 2023 .
Indian recurve archer Neeraj Chauhan produced one of the standout upsets of the 2023 Asian Games on Tuesday, defeating three-time Olympic team gold medallist Kim Je-deok of South Korea 6-4 to advance to the men's individual quarter-finals at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki City. The result is a significant marker for Indian archery, which has been building momentum across formats at this edition of the Games.
How the Match Unfolded
Neeraj seized an early advantage, moving into a 3-1 lead before Kim clawed back to level the contest at 3-3. A tied fourth set pushed the score to 4-4, setting up a winner-takes-all decider. The Indian held his composure in the pressure set to close out a 6-4 victory — eliminating an archer who claimed gold in both the mixed team and men's team events at Tokyo 2020 and successfully defended the men's team title at Paris 2024.
Dhiraj Bommadevara Also Through
Dhiraj Bommadevara, who earlier this month became only the second Indian to win the recurve men's title at the Archery World Cup Final, continued his strong run with a commanding 6-2 win over Chinese Taipei's Cheng Hsiang-Hui. In the round of 32, Dhiraj had swept past the Philippines' Girvin Garcia 6-0, winning all three sets without dropping a point, while Neeraj had recovered from a 4-0 deficit to beat Indonesia's Riau Ega Agata 6-4.
Quarter-Final Draw
In the quarter-finals scheduled for Saturday, Dhiraj will face Uzbekistan's Amirkon Sadikov, while Neeraj takes on Bhutan's Dorji Lam. Both matchups offer India a realistic path to the semi-finals — and, crucially, to the Olympic quota places that are the primary prize at stake.
Team Events and Olympic Quota Stakes
India's team campaigns are also progressing strongly. The men's recurve team of Dhiraj, Neeraj, and Yashdeep Bhoge beat China 5-1 in the quarter-finals on Sunday to reach the semi-finals, where they will face Iran on 2 October. The women's recurve team of Kumkum Anil Mohod, Kirti Sharma, and Ankita Bhakat defeated Chinese Taipei 6-0 and will meet China in their semi-final. The recurve mixed pair of Dhiraj and Kumkum Anil Mohod also advanced and will face Japan on the same day.
Notably, eight Olympic quota places for the LA28 Games are on offer at these Asian Games — two each in the recurve men's and women's individual events, and one men's and one women's quota place each for the recurve mixed team and compound mixed team champions. India's multi-front presence in the semi-finals significantly improves its chances of securing multiple berths.
Historical Context
This comes against the backdrop of India's record-breaking Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games archery campaign, where the country won nine medals — five gold, two silver, and two bronze — its most successful haul ever. The current Okazaki performances suggest India is on course to challenge, if not surpass, that benchmark.
Point of View
South Korea's dominance in the discipline has been near-absolute; an Indian beating a multiple Olympic gold medallist in a head-to-head format is genuinely rare. What makes this Asian Games campaign structurally important, however, is the Olympic quota dimension: medals here convert directly into LA28 berths, giving India's multi-front semi-final presence a significance well beyond the podium. The risk is complacency — India has historically peaked at team level while individual titles have proved elusive, and the quarter-final draw, while favourable, is not a walkover.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kim Je-deok and why does Neeraj Chauhan's win matter?
Kim Je-deok is a South Korean recurve archer who won team gold at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, making him one of the most decorated active archers in the world. Neeraj Chauhan's 6-4 defeat of Je-deok at the 2023 Asian Games is considered a major upset and a milestone for Indian individual recurve archery.
What are the Olympic quota places available at the 2023 Asian Games in archery?
Eight LA28 Olympic quota places are on offer at the Asian Games — two each in the recurve men's and women's individual events, plus one men's and one women's quota place each for the recurve mixed team and compound mixed team champions. India's presence across multiple semi-finals puts it in strong contention for several berths.
When are India's archery semi-finals at the 2023 Asian Games?
All three Indian recurve team semi-finals are scheduled for 2 October. The men's team faces Iran, the women's team faces China, and the mixed pair of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod takes on Japan.
Who is Dhiraj Bommadevara?
Dhiraj Bommadevara is an Indian recurve archer who became only the second Indian to win the men's title at the Archery World Cup Final, earlier in September 2023. At the Asian Games, he advanced to the individual quarter-finals with a 6-2 win and is also part of the men's team and mixed pair in the semi-finals.
What is India's best-ever Asian Games archery performance?
India's most successful Asian Games archery campaign was at Hangzhou 2023, where the team won nine medals — five gold, two silver, and two bronze — its highest tally in the discipline at any edition of the Games.
