Sports Desk: India’s Ankita Bhakat delivered a sensational performance at the Asian Archery Championships on Friday, defeating Paris Olympics individual silver medallist Nam Su-hyeon of Korea 7-3 to clinch the women’s recurve individual gold—a landmark victory in her international career.
Ankita began strongly, taking the opening set 29-27. Although Nam fought back to draw the second set and later edged the third 28-26 to level the contest 3-3, the Indian archer showed remarkable composure. She dominated the fourth set with double 10s to regain the lead before sealing the final with a superb 29 in the fifth set, again shooting double 10s to secure a commanding 7-3 triumph.
Her path to the gold was equally dramatic. In the semifinals, Ankita edged past five-time Olympian Deepika Kumari 6-5 in a tense shoot-off. After racing to a 4-0 lead, Ankita saw Deepika stage a spirited comeback to level the match 5-5, but held her nerve in the shoot-off to advance. Earlier, Ankita had powered past top seed Jang Minhee in the quarterfinals.
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India’s strong run in the women’s recurve continued with Sangeeta claiming the bronze. After losing her semifinal to Nam Su-hyeon, she defeated Deepika 6-5 in another shoot-off to secure a podium finish.
The day also brought historic success in the men’s recurve event, where the Indian team of Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das and Rahul stunned powerhouse Korea 5-4 to win the gold medal—India’s first in the category since 2007. A flawless shoot-off ended with both teams scoring 29, but Rahul’s arrow landed closest to the centre, giving India the title and ending Korea’s unbeaten run since 2013.
However, India narrowly missed a medal in the mixed recurve category, with Anshika Kumari and Yashdeep Bhoge falling to Korea’s Jang Minhee and Seo Mingi in the bronze medal match. The day’s performances marked one of India’s strongest outings in continental archery, showcasing depth, resilience and world-class talent across events.
