Dhiraj Bommadevara, fresh from a World Cup Final victory, opened the Asian Games 2026 archery competition with a record‑setting performance in the men’s recurve qualification. He scored 698 out of a possible 720, surpassing the previous Games record of 690 set by Korean Lee Woo Seok. Bommadevara’s first 36 arrows earned 348 points, and he added 350 in the final half, dropping only 10 points from the midway mark.
The Korean camp was shaken when legendary archer Kim Woojin failed to qualify for the elimination round, finishing third among his compatriots and missing the cut that allows only the top two from each country to advance. Woojin had been a strong contender for a third Asian Games gold. In contrast, Kim Je Deok, a member of the Paris Olympics gold‑medal team, finished second with 693, while Korean Lee Woo Seok slipped to fourth with 687.
India’s other recurve archers, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge, placed 18th and 25th with scores of 676 and 665 respectively, leaving Bhoge out of the knockout stage. The men’s team finished second in the qualification round behind Korea, earning the second seed in the 32‑team draw and a bye into the pre‑quarterfinals where they will face the Philippines.
In the women’s compound category, 21‑year‑old Chikitha Taniparthi topped the individual qualification with 705 points, the highest score among all competitors. She joined the Indian team that secured the second seed in the women’s compound team event, also behind China. Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei finished a close second with 704 points.
India’s overall performance shows a strong showing in compound events, following a sweep of all five gold medals at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, and a silver in the men’s team event. The next stages of the competition will test the archers’ resilience as they aim for podium finishes in both individual and team disciplines.
