For 28 years, the Asian Games women’s team recurve podium had one predictable winner. On Friday, three Indian women rewrote the script.
Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod defeated South Korea 5-3 to win India’s first-ever women’s team recurve gold at the Asian Games, ending a streak that began in 1998.
Table of Contents
India’s Women Archers Team: Match Snapshot
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Event | Women’s team recurve, Asian Games 2026 |
| Date | Friday, 2 October 2026 |
| Venue | Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park, Japan |
| Result | India beat South Korea 5-3 |
| Indian Squad | Ankita Bhakat (28), Kirti Sharma (19), Kumkum Mohod (17) |
| Korea’s Streak Ended | 7 straight team golds since 1998 |
| India’s Best Before | Never reached the final |
For background on the sport’s Asian Games history, see Wikipedia’s Archery at the Asian Games page.
A Match That Swung on Nerve
The opening two sets were dead level. Both teams shot 54 in the first and 56 in the second, leaving it 2-2. Then Korea faltered in the third, finishing with three straight 8s, while India shot 8, 9 and 10 to win 55-51 and lead 4-2.
The fourth set had real drama. Korea scored 54, and India needed just a tie. Kirti’s first arrow was initially marked an 8, which left India a point short. A review upgraded it to a 9, India’s total reached 54, and the tied set was enough to seal the match.
Beating the Wind and the Pressure
There was a fourth opponent on the range: the wind. The Indians treated the 10-ring like a clock face and aimed toward 8 or 9 o’clock so the gusts would carry their arrows onto the target. They also adapted mid-match. When Kirti felt the pressure shooting second, the trio reshuffled the order and moved her up, and she responded with a couple of 10s and 9s.
Ankita, the senior member, said the two debutants played with a freedom that came from carrying no baggage of past defeats. Before the final, the youngsters even decided to simply enjoy the game, medal or not.
Three Journeys, One Gold
Ankita grew up in Kolkata, where her father delivered milk packets from 4am. Kirti comes from a farming family in Haryana, and her father borrowed Rs 60,000 for her recurve bow in 2022. Kumkum, just 17, is from Amravati, where her father makes cardboard sweet boxes, and she competed with second-hand bows until recently.
Different backgrounds, same 400 arrows a day in training.
A Sporting Reaction From Korea
The Korean archers embraced on the range, some in tears. One of them said she felt sorry about ending the run, a reminder of just how unfamiliar defeat was for the team.
Keep Following the Games
Want more on India’s medal haul and the stories behind it? Follow TechnoSports and browse our other Asian Games coverage for results and highlights.
FAQs
Q1. Who won India’s first women’s team recurve gold at the Asian Games?
Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod beat South Korea 5-3 in the final.
Q2. Why is this win historic?
South Korea had won every women’s team recurve title since 1998, and India had never reached the final before.
