Ankita Bhakat, Dhiraj Bommadevara Win Recurve Gold as India Dominates Asian Archery Championship

A dominant performance was produced by the Indian archery team at the Asian Archery Championship in Dhaka on Friday, as gold medals in both the men’s and women’s recurve individual events were secured. The victories were delivered by Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara, who ensured one of India’s strongest finishes in the tournament.

In the women’s recurve event, a breakthrough triumph was achieved by Ankita, who defeated Paris Olympics silver-medallist Nam Suhyeon of South Korea 7-3 in the final. Earlier, her place in the title clash had been earned after a dramatic semifinal win over senior teammate and former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari. Both archers had tied 5-5, followed by a shoot-off in which Ankita’s nine was judged closer to the centre.

A commanding start was made by Ankita in the final by shooting two 10s to take the opening set 29-27. The second set ended in a 27-27 draw after both archers faltered slightly, with Ankita dropping to an 8 and Nam to a 7. The contest was levelled by Nam through a 28-26 win in the third set, as no 10 was found by Ankita. However, momentum was regained by the Indian in the fourth set with two 10s in a 29-28 finish, putting her 5-3 ahead. The gold medal was sealed in the deciding set, where Ankita again produced two 10s, displaying strong composure under pressure.

India’s success in the women’s section was further boosted when Sangeeta claimed the bronze medal. A narrow 6-5 shoot-off victory was secured by her over Deepika Kumari, giving India two podium finishes in the category.

In the men’s recurve competition, a 1-2 finish was ensured by India after Dhiraj Bommadevara defeated fellow Indian archer Rahul 6-2 in the final. Dhiraj’s entry into the summit clash had been achieved after a confident win over South Korean veteran Jang Chaehwan, who was beaten 6-2. Despite losing the first set by a single point, a strong comeback was produced by Dhiraj with three 10s in the second set to level the match. His momentum continued through a 29-27 win in the third set and a hat-trick of 10s in the fourth, ensuring a place in the final.

A highly successful medal tally was recorded by the Indian contingent, which finished with 10 medals overall, six gold, three silver and one bronze placing India at the top of the standings.