Hangzhou: Indian archers ended a 13-year-long wait for a medal in recurve section at the Asian Games when the women’s team of Ankita Bhakat, Simranjeet Kaur, and Bhajan Kaur defeated Vietnam to win a bronze at the Asian Games here Friday.
Unfancied going into the continental showpiece, the fifth-seeded women’s trio dropped a set to down their Vietnamese rivals Do Thi Anh Nguyet, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhi, and Hoang Phuong Thao 6-2 (56-52, 55-56, 57-50, 51-48).
For India, this was their record seventh medal overall in archery at the ongoing Asian Games. They have already won three team gold medals in compound, mixed, women’s, and men’s sections.
Abhishek Verma and Ojas Deotale are vying for a top-two finish in the compound individual section, having made it an all-India final.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam has also advanced into the women’s compound individual final, assuring at least a silver medal.
This was India’s first medal in the Olympic category at the Asian Games since Guangzhou 2010.
The last time India had won a medal in recurve category at the Asian Games was in 2010 when they bagged individual silver, and team bronze medals in men’s and women’s team events.
India eliminated fifth seed Japan 6-2 (53-49, 56-54, 53-54, 54-51) in the quarterfinals, while against Tokyo Olympic champions South Korea they bagged a set before going down 2-6 (54-56, 54-57, 57-55, 52-57).