India’s men’s recurve archery team delivered a stunning win at the Asian Archery Championships, defeating South Korea in a tense shoot-off to claim their first gold in the event since 2007.
The victory pushed India’s overall medal tally at the tournament to four gold and two silver. The compound squad had already secured three gold and two silver on Thursday.
The team of Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, and Rahul rallied from a 2-4 deficit to register a dramatic 5-4 win over Korea’s Seo Mingi, Kim Yechan and Jang Jiho.
Korea had dominated the event since 2009.
Both sides shot 29 in the shoot-off, but India won after Atanu Das delivered a decisive 10 that landed closer to the centre than Korea’s final arrow. Das, a two-time Olympian who had exited early in the individual event, secured the decisive moment.
The win carried strong emotional weight for recurve coach Rahul Banerjee. He was part of the 2007 champion team and now guided the current trio to gold. Banerjee’s long-time trainee Atanu Das hit the winning arrow, adding to the significance of the moment.
Banerjee said the team had finally achieved what they had long discussed. “It's really fulfilling as a coach as we defeated Korea and didn't choke. Atanu and I were discussing last night that we have not won a gold for a long time and it's finally fulfilled. The next target is Asian Games definitely,” he told PTI from Dhaka.
South Korea competed without Olympic champion Kim Woojin but still fielded strong talent. Seo Mingi topped their national trials. Kim Yechan is a Chengdu University Games gold-medallist. Jang Jiho added depth to the line-up.
Banerjee emphasised that their quality remained high. “They are not their top-three archers but after the World Championships they had the trial for Asians and these were picked. As far as my knowledge is concerned, they are their top four, five, six archers. In terms of quality, the Koreans are Koreans — the difference among their top five is minimal,” he said.
The final saw momentum shift several times.
Korea opened with 56 in the first set after shooting an 8. India matched them. The second set also ended 56-56, even though India hit a 7. At 2-2, Korea pulled ahead with 57. India struggled with four 8s and only one 10, dropping to 2-4.
India responded strongly in the fourth set. They began with two 10s and closed with a composed 57-53 to force the shoot-off. The final arrow from Das then sealed India’s most significant recurve team win in nearly two decades.
India’s compound archers continued their strong run. Jyothi Surekha Vennam won both team and individual gold. The women’s team, mixed team and Jyothi contributed to the gold tally. The men’s compound team secured a silver. Seventeen-year-old Prithika Pradeep added another silver.
More medals remain possible. Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and newcomer Sangeeta have entered the women’s recurve semifinals. In the men’s category, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Rahul have advanced to the last four.