India wins historic Asian Games recurve gold, ending Korea’s 44-year dominance

Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod created history by defeating Korea 5-3 for India’s first women’s recurve team gold.

By All India Story

2 Oct 2026, 2:55 PM IST 2 min read

Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod celebrate India’s Asian Games recurve gold — Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod won India’s first women’s recurve team gold at the Asian Games.

India secured a historic Asian Games recurve gold medal on Friday as Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod defeated South Korea 5-3 in the women’s team final. The victory ended Korea’s 44-year dominance in the event and gave India its first-ever gold medal in the women’s recurve team competition.

The Indian trio entered the final after a convincing 5-1 victory over China in the semifinal. Korea, meanwhile, arrived with a formidable reputation as the reigning world champions and featured world No. 3 archer Kang Chaeyong.

India, however, showed little interest in being intimidated by reputations. The opening two sets were tightly contested, with both teams producing scores of 54 and 56 respectively. India matched Korea’s totals to leave the final level at 2-2.

The third set proved crucial. Korea struggled with accuracy, recording four 8s across its six arrows. India capitalised on the opening and produced a score of 55 to move ahead.

The final set brought another tense finish. Korea scored 54, meaning India needed to match that total to secure the medal. Kirti initially recorded an 8 with one of her arrows, but a review upgraded the score to 9. India eventually matched Korea’s 54, resulting in a tied set and confirming the historic gold.

The achievement also reflects the different journeys of the three archers. Kumkum began training in recurve only three years ago after starting with a traditional bamboo bow. Kirti had previously faced doubts about whether her slender frame would be strong enough for the demanding recurve discipline.

Ankita brought considerably more experience to the team. A veteran of international competition, she has won 23 international medals and was part of India’s bronze-medal-winning recurve team at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The victory marks a significant moment for Indian archery, particularly after the country’s compound archers made headlines at the previous Asian Games. The women’s recurve team has now added another landmark achievement, while the result could provide momentum for India’s upcoming mixed-team and men’s competitions.