Neeraj Chauhan captures recurve bronze in all-Indian archery showdown

Indian archer Neeraj Chauhan claimed bronze in the men's individual recurve event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, narrowly defeating teammate Dhiraj Bommadevara with a 6-4 score. This hard-fought victory marks a significant milestone for Indian recurve archery, breaking a long-standing medal drought in this specific global category after years of focusing primarily on compound events. Chauhan maintained his composure to secure the tense match with a perfect 10 during the deciding fifth set.

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Thrilling five-set contest

Chauhan initiated the encounter powerfully, logging scores of 10, 9, and 10 to take the first set 29-26 over Bommadevara, who opened with 7, 9, and 10. Bommadevara fought back aggressively during the second set. He shot 8, 10, and 10 to claim a 28-27 win, while Chauhan registered 10, 8, and 9, balancing the scoreboard at 2-2. Bommadevara then seized control to gain a 4-2 advantage in the third set. He scored 29 points by hitting 10, 9, and 10, just edging out Chauhan's 28 points from a 10, 9, and 9 sequence. Facing defeat, Chauhan rallied brilliantly in the fourth set by firing three consecutive 10s for a perfect 30. Bommadevara could only manage three 9s for a 27, tying the match once again at 4-4.

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During the final set, Bommadevara opened with an 8 but recovered with two 10s for 28 points. Chauhan responded with 10, 9, and 10, totaling 29 to capture the bronze medal. Both athletes entered this playoff following difficult semifinal losses. Bommadevara fell 3-7 to South Korean Lee Wooseok, while Chauhan lost 1-7 to Japanese competitor Junya Nakanishi.

Aslo read: Asian Games: Indian archer Kumkum Mohod bags first ever women's recurve gold

Record archery campaign concludes

Earlier on Saturday, Kumkum Mohod made history by capturing the women's individual recurve gold. She defeated South Korean Oh Yejin in a high-pressure shoot-off following a 5-5 tie, hitting a 10 while Oh landed an 8. Mohod became the first Indian woman to achieve this specific feat. Her individual gold adds to her earlier successes, which include a women's recurve team gold alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma, plus a mixed recurve team silver with Bommadevara. India wrapped up its tournament schedule with nine total archery medals - comprising five gold, two silver, and two bronze across all formats. This performance pushes the overall national medal tally to exactly 80. The current count stands at 18 gold, 26 silver, and 36 bronze medals across all sporting events.

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With Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI