India Ends Korea’s 44-Year Dominance With Historic Asian Games Recurve Gold
Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod defeated South Korea 5-3 to win India’s first-ever women’s recurve team gold at the Asian Games.
The India women’s recurve gold victory at the Asian Games has ended South Korea’s 44-year dominance in the event. Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod defeated the Korean team 5-3 in the final on Friday, October 2, to claim India’s first-ever women’s recurve team gold.
The Indian trio entered the final after a convincing 5-1 semifinal victory over China. Despite facing the world champions in the title clash, the team remained composed throughout the contest in Nagoya.
India Holds Its Nerve Against Korea
South Korea started strongly, but India matched the defending champions in the opening two sets. Both teams scored 54 and 56 respectively, leaving the contest level at 2-2.
The third set proved decisive. Korea struggled with several 8-point arrows, while India produced a score of 55 to move ahead. The pressure increased in the final set, with Korea scoring 54 and India needing to match that total.
Kirti Sharma initially recorded an 8, but a review upgraded the arrow to a 9. India reached 54, tying the set and securing the gold medal.
The result marked a major breakthrough for India’s recurve archery team, which had previously struggled to reach the Asian Games final in this event.
Three Archers, Three Different Journeys
The historic victory also reflects the different paths taken by the three Indian archers.
Kumkum Mohod began training in recurve archery only three years ago and initially worked with a traditional bamboo bow. Kirti Sharma faced doubts about whether her physique would be strong enough to handle a recurve bow.
Ankita Bhakat brought considerable international experience to the team, having already won 23 international medals. She had also been part of India’s bronze-medal-winning women’s recurve team at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Their combined performance in Nagoya has now created a new chapter for Indian recurve archery.
What Comes Next for Indian Archery?
India’s historic gold comes after strong performances by the country’s compound archers at previous Asian Games. The recurve team’s breakthrough could provide momentum ahead of the remaining archery events, including the mixed-team and men’s competitions.
