Indian archer Ankita Bhakat produced the performance of her career on Friday, upsetting Paris Olympics silver medallist Nam Suhyeon of South Korea 7-3 in a thrilling five-set women’s recurve final to claim gold at the Asian Archery Championships.
The 27-year-old from West Bengal delivered when it mattered most, shooting back-to-back perfect 10s in the decisive fifth set to seal one of the biggest victories by an Indian recurve archer in recent years.
Details about the dream final
Ankita Bhakat started strongly, taking the first set 29-27 with two 10s while Nam managed a single perfect shot. In the second set both archers struggled under pressure, Ankita scored an 8 and Nam a 7, ending 27-27.
Nam fought back to win the third set 28-26, capitalising on Bhakat’s inability to hit a 10. But the Indian refused to panic. She responded with another brilliant 29-28 fourth set, again firing two 10s, to move 5-3 ahead.
In the final set, Ankita Bhakat stayed calm. Two more 10s gave her a 29-27 set win and the match 7-3, triggering wild celebrations from the Indian camp.
Ankita Bhakat’s road to the final
Earlier in the day, Ankita Bhakat had already made headlines by defeating her senior teammate and former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari in a thrilling semifinal.
The two Indians were locked 5-5 after five sets. Both shot 9s in the shoot-off, but Ankita Bhakat’s arrow landed millimetres closer to the centre, earning her the win and a place in the gold-medal match.
Bronze for Sangeeta, heartbreak for Deepika
In the bronze-medal match, another all-Indian affair saw Sangeeta edge five-time Olympian Deepika Kumari 6-5 in a shoot-off. The result marked a changing of the guard in Indian women’s recurve archery, with younger archers stepping up on the continental stage.
What the win means for Ankita Bhakat
This gold is Ankita Bhakat’s first individual title at a major Asian-level event and the biggest achievement of her career so far. Beating an Olympic silver medallist like Nam Suhyeon, one of Asia’s most consistent performers, will give the Indian tremendous confidence ahead of the 2026 Asian Games and future World Cup seasons.
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