Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara Strike Gold as India Dominates Recurve Finals

India’s archers made history at the Asian Archery Championship after Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara captured gold medals in the women’s and men’s recurve events, respectively, on Friday. The victories marked a dominant outing for the Indian contingent, which finished at the top of the medal tally with a total of 10 medals — six gold, three silver, and one bronze.

Ankita Bhakat produced one of the finest performances of her career, stunning Paris Olympics silver-medallist Nam Suhyeon of South Korea 7-3 in the final. The Indian archer started strong, firing two perfect 10s in the opening set to establish control with a 29-27 lead. Although the second set ended in a 27-27 draw, Nam momentarily bounced back to level the score by claiming the third set 28-26. Undeterred, Ankita regained her rhythm in the fourth set with another stellar 29-28, landing two 10s to go 5-3 up before sealing the gold with a commanding finish.

Ankita’s road to the final was equally dramatic. In the semifinals, she overcame former world No. 1 and five-time Olympian Deepika Kumari in a nail-biting shoot-off. Both shot nines in the tiebreaker, but Ankita’s arrow landed closer to the center, propelling her into the championship match. Fellow Indian archer Sangeeta added to the team’s success by defeating Deepika 6-5 in another shoot-off to claim the women’s recurve bronze medal.

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In the men’s final, Dhiraj Bommadevara showcased remarkable composure and precision to beat compatriot Rahul 6-2, securing another gold for India. After dropping the first set by a narrow margin, Dhiraj responded in style, hitting three consecutive 10s to level the contest at 2-2. From there, he maintained flawless accuracy, winning the next two sets 29-27 and 30-28 to clinch the championship. His consistency and calm approach earned praise as one of the standout performances of the tournament.

With both men’s and women’s recurve gold medals in hand, India capped off one of its most successful campaigns in recent championship history. The team’s consistent performances across all categories underscored its growing dominance in Asian archery, setting a strong tone ahead of next year’s major international competitions, including the World Cup and the Paris 2028 Olympic qualification cycle.

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