Okazaki, October 3 (Daily Kiran) : Indian archer Neeraj Chauhan clinched a bronze medal in the men’s individual recurve event at the 2026 Asian Games, held at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square. On Saturday, Neeraj faced his compatriot Dheeraj Bommadevara in a decisive match.
The contest spanned five sets, with Neeraj ultimately overcoming Dheeraj with a score of 6-4. Both archers entered this match after losing their respective semifinal encounters. Neeraj was defeated by Japan’s Junya Nakanishi with a score of 1-7, while Dheeraj lost to South Korea‘s Lee Woo-seok.
Neeraj started strong, winning the first set 29-26. However, he lost the second set 27-28 and the third set 28-29, putting Dheeraj ahead 4-2. Needing only one more set to secure victory, Dheeraj seemed poised to win. Yet, Neeraj rallied impressively in the fourth set, scoring three 10s to level the match at 4-4.
In the final set, Dheeraj began with a score of 8, while Neeraj opened with a 10. Dheeraj improved his performance, scoring two additional 10s and finishing the set with 28 points. Neeraj required 19 points to win the bronze and managed to secure it with scores of 9 and 10 on his last two arrows.
Both athletes had previously earned medals in mixed and team events. Dheeraj, alongside Kumkum Mohod, won a silver medal in the mixed event, losing the final to China. Additionally, he claimed a silver medal in the team event with Neeraj and Yashdeep Bhog, falling short against South Korea.
The performance of Indian women archers at these games has been exceptional. Kumkum Mohod made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the individual recurve event, defeating South Korea’s Oh Yejin. She also secured a gold medal in the team event with teammates Kirti Sharma and Ankita Bhakat, astonishing the ten-time champion Korean team.
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