India's Women Recurve Archers Stun South Korea to Win Historic Asian Games Gold

India's women's recurve archery team created history on Friday at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, defeating mighty South Korea 5-3 in the final to win the country's first-ever gold medal in the event.

The trio of Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod beat the 10-time Olympic champions in a gripping final at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square, in what is arguably the biggest upset in Asian Games archery history. South Korea had not lost an Asian Games final in this event since the inaugural edition in 1982, and had won every edition from Bangkok 1998 onward.

Semis and the road to gold

India reached the title clash by beating China 5-1 in the semifinal earlier on Friday, entering its first-ever Asian Games women's recurve team final. The Indian team had previously only managed bronze medals, in 2010 and 2022, before Friday's breakthrough.

Competing in windy conditions against the Korean team of Kang Chaeyoung, Oh Yejin and Lee Yunji, India refused to be overawed. The first two sets were tied, with both sides scoring 54 and 56 points respectively to split the points evenly.

The decisive third and fourth sets

The Koreans faltered in the third set, hitting three consecutive 8s for a combined score of 52, while the Indian archers shot 55 to take the set and move ahead 4-2.

The fourth set went down to the wire. Korea managed 54 points, while Kirti Sharma's opening shot was initially registered as an 8 before being decisively upgraded to a 9, taking India's total to 54 as well. The tied set was enough to seal a 5-3 victory and the gold medal.

Kumkum's coming of age

The youngest member of the team was the most impressive on the big day. Kumkum Mohod, 17, repeatedly produced 10s when India needed them most — including in the semifinal against China — while the experienced Paris Olympian Ankita Bhakat steadied the team in crucial moments.

The gold is India's 11th of the Aichi-Nagoya Games, taking the country's tally to 67 medals — 23 silver and 33 bronze — with India seventh on the medal table at the time of writing. India's recurve archers had two more chances later on Friday, with Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara in the mixed team semifinal against Japan, and Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge in the men's team semifinal against Iran.