Indian archery showcased a spectacular performance at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka on Friday (November 24, 2025), with a stunning haul led by Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara securing individual gold medals. This double victory marks a significant achievement for the Indian contingent, reaffirming the nation's rising status in the global archery arena.
Ankita Bhakat's Golden Triumph
Ankita Bhakat, displaying remarkable resilience and skill, defeated Paris Olympics silver-medallist Nam Suhyeon of South Korea in a thrilling match to claim the women's individual recurve gold.
The final was a tense affair that came down to a decisive shoot-off. Ankita, who had previously teamed up with veteran archer Deepika Kumari to secure the team and former world number one titles, started strong. She took the opening set 29-27 against Nam, but the Korean archer immediately responded, taking the second set 27-all before the draw level. The third set saw the archers locked at 26-26. The tension peaked in the fourth set where Ankita, unable to find a perfect 10, gave the Korean the advantage.
However, the Indian archer bounced back brilliantly in the fifth set. Nailing two 10s in a superb 29-27 effort, she forced the tie into a shoot-off. In the crucial tie-breaker, Ankita demonstrated absolute composure, delivering a decisive 10 to secure her first individual gold at the Asian meet.
Earlier in the day, Ankita's bronze medal match saw her teammate Deepika Kumari settle for bronze after losing the shoot-off 6-5.
Dhiraj Bommadevara Strikes Gold
Not to be outdone, Dhiraj Bommadevara overcame compatriot Rahul G2 in an all-Indian men's individual recurve final, also clinching the gold medal.
Dhiraj dominated the match, securing the first and third sets before winning the second set outright to achieve a comfortable victory over Rahul, who became the first Indian man to claim the individual gold crown at the Asian meet since 2007. This is a memorable achievement for the Indian men's recurve team, whose success is overseen by coach Rahul Banerjee, a member of the championship team from 2007, alongside Mangal Singh Champia and Jayanta Talukdar.
The 24-year-old Ankita had previously clinched silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Her focus is now on the team events, with the next target being the Asian Games.
Team Event Highlights
The Indians secured further victories in the women's recurve team event, defeating a Korean side 6-5 in a dramatic shoot-off.
However, the men's recurve team, featuring Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, and Rahul, had a tougher outing, losing to a heavily favored South Korean squad 6-2 in a nerve-wrecking shoot-off. Despite the loss, the team secured their first Asian Championship gold in 18 years.
The Indian women's team, comprising Dhiraj, Ankita, and Bhajan Kaur, managed to scrape a 5-4 victory over a second Korean string side. Both teams shot 29 in the shoot-off, but India was declared the winner after the initial arrow was checked, ensuring they finished closer to the center.
Coach Banerjee expressed immense pride in the team's performance, noting that securing a win against the Korean team, who had previously defeated them, was a great accomplishment. "We were discussing last night that we have not won a gold for a long time and it's finally fulfilled," he stated, setting a positive tone for the upcoming major tournaments.
