India Scripts History, Outshines Korea to Claim Recurve Team Gold After 18 Years
- India beats South Korea in a dramatic shoot-off to win first men’s recurve team gold since 2007.
- Team fights back from 2-4 deficit; Atanu Das’ inner 10 seals the win.
- India’s medal tally rises to four gold and two silver at the Asian Championships.
India created a historic moment at the Asian Archery Championships by defeating South Korea in a nail-biting shoot-off to claim the men’s recurve team gold after 18 long years. The trio Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, and Rahul showed remarkable grit, overturning a 2-4 deficit to secure a 5-4 victory over the strong Korean side of Seo Mingi, Kim Yechan, and Jang Jiho.
In the shoot-off, both teams scored 29 points, but India clinched the gold because Atanu Das’ perfect 10 landed closer to the center, ending Korea’s uninterrupted dominance since 2009. This marks India’s first men’s team recurve gold since 2007.
The win added to India’s growing medal tally, taking the total to four gold and two silver medals. The compound squad had already delivered three gold and two silver earlier, with Jyothi Surekha Vennam shining with individual and team golds.
The victory was especially meaningful for recurve men’s coach Rahul Banerjee, a member of the 2007 gold-winning team. “It’s fulfilling as a coach. Beating Korea without choking was important. Atanu and I spoke last night about ending this wait, we finally did it. Next target: the Asian Games”, Banerjee told PTI.
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Despite missing Olympic champion Kim Woojin, Korea fielded strong emerging talent, including trials topper Seo Mingi. Banerjee noted that the gap between Korea’s top archers remains narrow.
India’s comeback was powered by a strong fourth set, where they scored 57-53 to force the shoot-off. With several archers, including Deepika Kumari and Dhiraj Bommadevara, advancing to individual recurve semifinals, India remains in contention for more medals.
