New Delhi, 03 October (H.S.): The Indian women’s recurve team created history at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday, defeating South Korea 5-3 to clinch the gold medal. The trio of Kirti Sharma, Ankita Bhakat and Kumkum Mohod ended South Korea’s 44-year-long dominance in the women’s recurve team event at the Asian Games with the historic victory. India had earlier secured its place in the final by defeating a strong Chinese team 5-1 in the semifinals.

South Korean and Chinese archers are renowned for their composure and remarkable precision under pressure, but the Indian team responded in the same manner during the contest. Recalling the tense moments of the final, Kirti Sharma said mental strength played a crucial role in their success.

Speaking to Sports Authority of India (SAI) Media, Kirti said, “We were not thinking about our opponents. Our entire focus was on our performance and the process that we had followed during training. The three of us had to keep our emotions under control and trust one another. We did not think about the result and focused on giving our 100 per cent.”

Kirti, who hails from Haryana, said the team also had to draw fully upon the fighting spirit associated with the state during the title clash. She said, “We knew that even the slightest mistake could allow our opponents to turn the contest in their favour. But we stood firm and maintained our intensity from the first arrow to the last.”

Kirti, who trains under coach Udham Singh at the Sports Authority of India training centre in Hazaribagh, said the remarkable success of India’s compound archers had provided considerable motivation to the recurve team ahead of their challenging encounters against China and South Korea.

She said, “Our confidence had increased significantly after the compound events. The day we won three consecutive gold medals was a fortunate day for India. It gave us a great deal of motivation. We also wanted to replicate their achievement.”

Kirti said, “We were fully prepared for the competition and were eagerly waiting for our event to begin.”

Earlier at the Asian Games, India’s compound archers had won gold medals in the men’s team, women’s team and mixed team events. The women’s recurve team then added another gold medal, registering yet another historic achievement for India in archery.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar