Indian Archers Storm into Asian Games 2026 Semifinals
India achieves a clean sweep in archery as men, women, and mixed teams advance to the semifinals at the Asian Games 2026.
It was a golden day for Indian archery at the Asian Games 2026 as the nation achieved a remarkable clean sweep in the team events. On the eighth day of competition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, both the men's and women's recurve teams secured their spots in the semifinals, ensuring India's dominance in the arena.
Unstoppable Archery Performance
The Indian archers displayed clinical precision throughout the quarterfinals. The men's recurve team delivered a powerful performance, defeating China with a 5-1 scoreline. Not to be outdone, the women's recurve team was even more dominant, clinical in their 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei.
This success means that all five of India's archery teams are now in the hunt for glory. The lineup of semifinalists includes:
- Men's recurve team
- Women's recurve team
- Recurve mixed team
- Men's compound team
- Women's compound team
The schedule for the upcoming battles is set, with the compound mixed team semifinals taking place on September 30. The recurve semifinals for the men, women, and mixed categories are slated for October 2, followed by the individual compound events on Monday.
Mixed Team Dominance
In the recurve mixed team category, the duo of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod continued their winning streak. After overcoming the UAE in the Round of 16, they dismantled Vietnam with a 6-0 score in the quarterfinals. They are now set to face Japan in a highly anticipated semifinal clash.
Meanwhile, in the compound mixed team event, Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi showed great composure. After beating Mongolia in the previous round, they defeated Kazakhstan with a score of 159-154 to advance to the semifinals, where they will encounter Thailand.
Other Sporting Highlights
While archery stole the spotlight, other Indian athletes also made significant strides:
- Boxing: Ankush has officially guaranteed a medal for India after a decisive victory against Tajikistan's Nekruz Salimov in the men's 80kg quarterfinals.
- Athletics: Sreeshankar Murali and David Solomon have qualified for the men's long jump final. In the women's hurdles, Vithya Ramraj and Anu Raghavan have progressed to the 400m hurdles final, alongside Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan in the men's category.
- Shooting: Neeru showed exceptional form, leading the women's trap qualification. Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Rahi Sarnobat also competed in the women's 25m pistol qualification.
However, it was not all victories. In badminton, the campaign for India came to an end as PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda were eliminated in the women's singles quarterfinals. The men's team bronze remains India's sole medal in the sport so far.