India’s Bhoge, Anshika shine at Asian Archery Championships, securing top spots

India’s archery team delivered stunning performances at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka, with Yashdeep Bhoge topping the men’s recurve qualification and Anshika Kumari finishing fifth in the women’s. India secured second place in the team standings

Dhaka: Unheralded Yashdeep Bhoge stunned the competition to top the men’s recurve qualification, while rookie Anshika Kumari also made a surprise top-five finish in the women’s section as the Asian Archery Championships kicked off here on Sunday.

Bhoge’s impressive performance, along with Anshika’s breakthrough finish, propelled India to second place in the team standings, putting them in the opposite half of the draw from heavyweights South Korea, who topped both the men’s and women’s qualifications. Despite a recent slump in Indian recurve archery, Bhoge and Anshika’s results have raised hopes of ending the medal drought at this year’s tournament.

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Interestingly, South Korea has fielded a relatively second-string team in the men’s recurve event, with several lesser-known archers. In contrast, India’s young duo rose to the occasion and outshone many established names.

However, there were some major surprises in the qualifications, as top-ranked Indians Deepika Kumari and Dhiraj Bommadevara both failed to secure team berths, finishing outside the country’s top three.

Yashdeep Bhoge’s Breakthrough Performance

Making a comeback after two years, Bhoge, who last competed internationally at the Chengdu Summer World University Games in July 2023, scored 687 out of 720 to take the top spot in the men’s qualification. His impressive performance saw him finish ahead of South Korea’s Seo Mingi (681) and Kim Yeachan (679).

The 25-year-old’s effort helped propel India to second place in the team rankings, just behind South Korea. Two-time Olympian Atanu Das marked his return with a solid seventh-place finish (668), while Rahul (11th) completed the men’s team lineup, edging out Dhiraj Bommadevara (13th; 665), who has struggled since the Paris Olympics.

Bhoge’s only previous international medal came in the mixed event gold at the 2019 Asia Cup Leg 1 in Bangkok.

Anshika Kumari Surprises in Women’s Recurve

In the women’s recurve section, 25-year-old Anshika Kumari, who made her debut season on the World Cup circuit this year, finished as the top Indian archer. With a score of 660 points, Anshika secured fifth place overall, ahead of seasoned Olympians Ankita Bhakat (9th; 655) and Sangeeta (11th; 649).

In a disappointing turn, four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari finished 12th with 649 points, missing the cut for the team. The Korean women’s team dominated the qualification, sweeping the top four positions through Jang Min-hee, Nam Su-hyeon, Kim Surin, and Lee Ga-hyun.

Compound Archery: India’s Strength

While recurve archery continues to recover from a slump, India’s compound archers once again showcased their strength. The women’s compound team had an outstanding qualification, with all four archers finishing in the top five.

Deepshikha, aged 20, led the field with 705 points, edging out Korea’s Park Yerin (704). Star archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam (703) and 17-year-old Prithika Pradeep (702) finished third and fourth, respectively, to form the women’s team lineup. Despite finishing fifth with 701 points, Chikitha Taniparthi, also 20, missed out on a spot in the team, as only the top three could make the cut.

This result reaffirms India’s growing depth in compound archery, which will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games in the mixed team format. India’s compound women’s team earned the top seeding and will face Vietnam in their opening team elimination match in the small eight-team draw.

Men’s Compound: India Sets the Bar High

In the men’s compound qualifications, veteran Abhishek Verma shot 713 points to finish second, just two points behind Korea’s Kim Jongho (715). Sahil Jadhav (709) and Prathamesh Fuge (707), placed fourth and sixth, respectively, joined Verma to form the men’s compound team, which secured the second seed.

India’s compound mixed team, consisting of Verma and Deepshikha, also claimed the second seeding.

Prathamesh Jawkar, who returned to compound archery after briefly switching to recurve for Olympic qualification, failed to make the team, finishing 11th individually.