Asian Games 2026: Ankita Bhakat, Dhiraj lead India Archery squad; Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das miss out
India announce archery squads for Asian Games 2026 in Japan with Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara leading the recurve teams.
India’s recurve women’s team delivered one of the biggest upsets of the season by defeating powerhouse South Korea 5-1 to storm into the final of the Archery World Cup Stage 2 on Thursday.
The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenage sensation Kumkum Mohod produced a composed display to overcome the Korean side featuring Lee Yunji, Oh Yejin and reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung.
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India started strongly and edged the opening set to gain early momentum. The Koreans responded in the second set, but both teams finished level on 56, allowing India to maintain a slender 3-1 advantage.
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The decisive set saw the Indian archers rise to the occasion once again. After opening with two 9s, they finished with a remarkable sequence of three 10s and an X to seal a memorable semifinal victory and guarantee a medal.
India will now face second-seeded China in the gold medal match on Sunday.
However, it was a disappointing outing for India in several other team events.
The men’s recurve team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge crashed out in the opening round after a 2-6 defeat against Bangladesh.
India’s recurve mixed team pairing of Ankita and Dhiraj also suffered heartbreak, losing 5-4 to Brazil’s Ana Luiza Sliachticas Caetano and Marcus D’Almeida in a tightly fought contest.
In compound archery, the mixed team of Aditi Gopichand Swami and Ojas Pravin Deotale went down 156-157 against Americans Alexis Ruiz and James Lutz in the quarterfinals.
The world No. 1 Indian compound men’s team comprising Ojas, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav and Kushal Dalal narrowly lost 234-235 to the USA in the semifinals before missing out on bronze against China in a dramatic shoot-off.
China secured the podium finish after edging India with two Xs to one in the final shoot-off.
The women’s compound team of Aditi, Pragati and Jyothi Surekha Vennam also bowed out following a 227-233 quarterfinal defeat to Turkey.
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