Displaying tremendous skill and composure under pressure, India's women's recurve team beat 10-time Olympic champions South Korea 5-3 to claim their first-ever Asian Games gold medal in Nagoya on Friday.
The trio of seasoned archer Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod remained steady in challenging, windy conditions to defeat the defending champions.
Adding to a spectacular day, Kumkum then partnered with Dhiraj Bommadevara to cruise into the mixed recurve final. The Indian pair overcame Japan 5-3 in a tense semifinal. After a slow start that saw them lose the opening set 37-38, the duo found their rhythm, sharing the second set before winning the third to bring the match level at 3-3. Capitalising on a costly score of 7 from their Japanese opponents, Dhiraj and Kumkum clinched the fourth set 37-35, securing India's first-ever place in an Asian Games recurve mixed team final.
The win is a testament to Indian women's team's consistent rise. In May, they broke a five-year spell without a World Cup gold, defeating South Korea in the semifinals in Shanghai on their way to that title.
The winning combination was largely the same as the one in Shanghai, with Kirti Sharma replacing former world number one Deepika Kumari, who did not qualify for the Asian Games during the selection trials.
The final against the formidable South Korean team—which included Kang Chaeyoung, a member of the Tokyo Olympics gold-medal-winning side, alongside Oh Yejin and Lee Yunji—was a nail-biting contest from the start. The first two sets were fiercely fought, with both teams finishing level, leaving the match perfectly balanced at 2-2.
The decisive moment arrived in the third set when the Korean archers showed a rare sign of weakness, shooting three consecutive 8s for a total of just 52. India capitalised on this opportunity, scoring 55 to win the set and take a commanding 4-2 lead.
With their backs against the wall, South Korea delivered a strong 54 in the fourth set. The pressure shifted to India, especially after Kirti Sharma initially shot an 8. However, in a dramatic twist, a review upgraded her arrow to a 9, bringing India's total to 54 as well. While the scores were tied, this was enough to award the final set point to India and seal a landmark 5-3 victory over the South Korean archery powerhouse.
To reach their first-ever Asian Games final, the Indian team had earlier beaten China 5-1 in the semifinal. This historic recurve gold marks India's fourth in archery at these Games, adding to the titles already secured by the men's compound, women's compound, and mixed compound teams.
