Dhiraj sets Asian Games record, tops recurve qualification; India finish second in team events
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Β Dhiraj Bommadevara. File. | Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin
Fresh from his World Cup Final triumph, Dhiraj Bommadevara made a strong start to his Asian Games campaign, smashing the men's recurve qualification record with 698 points to top the standings Okazaki City on Saturday (September 26, 2026).
Dhiraj, currently ranked fourth in the world, produced a superb second half to move clear at the top. He shot 348 in his first 36 arrows and then dropped just 10 points in the final 36, adding 350 to finish on 698 out of a possible 720.
His score bettered the previous Asian Games qualification record of 690 by Korean Lee Woo Seok, who slipped to fourth position with 687 points.
Korea's rising star Kim Je Deok, a member of the Paris Olympics gold-medal winning team, finished second with 693, while Chinese Taipei's Chin-Hun Tang was third with 692.
The top finish earned Dhiraj a bye into the second round of the 64-archer individual elimination draw.
Seok, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, could be a potential semifinal opponent if both archers progress that far.
Dhiraj holds a 2-1 head-to-head record against the Korean, who is ranked 19th in the world.
The 25-year-old Army archer will be looking to go all the way after his quarterfinal exit at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
India have never won an Asian Games gold in the men's recurve individual event, with Tarundeep Rai's silver in 2010 remaining the country's best finish.
There was a major surprise in the Korean camp as legendary archer Kim Woojin failed to make the individual elimination round.
Woojin, who was eyeing a third Asian Games gold, finished third among the Korean archers and missed the cut as only the top two from each country qualify for the 64-player elimination draw.
India's other two recurve archers, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge, finished 18th and 25th respectively with scores of 676 and 665 as the latter missed out on the knockout.
India finished second in the men's team qualification behind Korea.
As the second seed in the 32-team draw, India received a bye into the pre-quarterfinals, where they will face the Philippines. The team will need three wins to secure a medal.
India had won a men's team silver in Hangzhou.
In the women's compound section, 21-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi gave India a major boost by topping the individual qualification with 705 points from a maximum 720.
Chikitha's performance comes as India look to continue their dominance in the compound events, having swept all five gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, besides winning one silver and one bronze.
Iran's Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei finished a close second with 704 points, while Korea's Park Jungyoon and Kang Yeonseo took the third and fourth spots.
Triple Asian Games gold medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam was the second-best Indian, finishing 13th in the qualification standings to make the cut for elimination.
Teenager Prithika Pradeep, who bagged a maiden World Cup bronze in Madrid this year, however missed out on an individual berth.
She scored 695 to finish third among the Indian archers, with only the top two from each country advancing.
India nevertheless secured the second seed in the women's compound team event behind China.
They will begin their campaign against Mongolia in the 16-team draw.
The women's recurve and men's compound qualifications will get underway in the second half.
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