India’s women’s recurve archery team produced a historic performance to claim its maiden Asian Games gold medal, defeating 10-time Olympic champions and defending title holders South Korea 5-3 in the final on Friday. The victory at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square, roughly 50 kilometres southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, marked a landmark breakthrough for Indian archery on the continental stage and ended one of the longest winning streaks in the sport. The Indian trio of seasoned campaigner Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in challenging windy conditions to outshoot the formidable Korean side of Kang Chae-young, Lee Yun-ji and Oh Ye-jin.

South Korea had dominated the women’s recurve team event at the Asian Games for decades, claiming every gold medal since 1998 and entering the final as clear favourites and world champions. India’s success therefore represented not only a first gold in the discipline but also a rare disruption of Korean supremacy in a sport where precision, composure and consistency under pressure are paramount. The final unfolded as a tightly contested set-by-set battle that kept the outcome uncertain until the closing arrows. The first two sets ended in ties, with both teams scoring 54 points and then 56 points to leave the match level at 2-2. India seized the initiative in the third set, posting 55 points while South Korea managed only 51 after a sequence of lower scores that included three consecutive 8s in their closing arrows.

That result moved India ahead 4-2 and left them one set point from gold. In the decisive fourth set, South Korea scored 54. An initial score on one of India’s arrows was reviewed by officials and upgraded from an 8 to a 9, allowing the Indians to match the Korean total at 54-54. The drawn set gave India the final point required for a 5-3 victory and triggered celebrations among the Indian contingent. Earlier in the day, India had advanced to the final with a convincing 5-1 semi-final victory over China, demonstrating composure and consistency under pressure. The gold capped a strong recent upward trajectory for the Indian women’s recurve team.

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In May, the same core group had ended a five-year wait for a World Cup title in Shanghai, defeating Korea in the semi-finals en route to that triumph. At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games the success formed part of a broader archery haul for India, which had already secured gold medals in the men’s compound, women’s compound and mixed compound team events, making this the country’s fourth archery gold of the competition and contributing to a growing overall medal tally. The result represents a significant shift in a discipline long dominated by South Korea, whose archers have set the global benchmark for decades through rigorous training systems and consistent excellence at Olympic and Asian Games level.

Ankita Bhakat’s experience helped steady the team during critical moments, while Kirti Sharma delivered key high-scoring arrows and young Kumkum Mohod repeatedly produced perfect 10s when the pressure was highest. Their collective performance under difficult weather conditions delivered one of the standout moments of the Games for the Indian contingent and signalled the growing depth and competitiveness of the national archery programme. For Indian sports fans, the gold will be remembered as a defining upset that underlined the progress made by the women’s recurve team in recent years.

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