Asian Games: Ganesh wins bronze as India finish with four compound archery medals

India's Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru celebrates winning his Men's Compound Individual bronze medal match. (Reuters Photo)

NEW DELHI: India added another medal to their Asian Games 2026 tally on Thursday as Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru secured bronze in the men’s individual compound archery event at Aichi-Nagoya.Ganesh produced a dominant performance in the bronze-medal match, defeating Vietnam’s Cong Duc Dang 149-144. The Indian archer was almost flawless, hitting 10s with 14 of his 15 arrows to comfortably seal the podium finish.

The bronze took India’s overall medal tally to 63, comprising 10 gold, 22 silver and 31 bronze.Asian Games Full Coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule

Ganesh dominates bronze-medal contest

Ganesh made an ideal start to the bronze-medal match, opening with a perfect 10 while Cong managed an 8.

The Vietnamese archer responded with two 10s, but Ganesh matched him with two more perfect shots to maintain his advantage.The Indian completed the opening end with a perfect 30/30, while Cong finished on 29, giving Ganesh a one-point lead.He continued to maintain his accuracy through the remaining ends, with his consistent shooting eventually giving him a five-point winning margin.Ganesh's 149 was enough to comfortably see off Cong, who finished on 144, and secure India's fourth medal in compound archery at the Games.

Four compound archery medals for India

Ganesh's bronze came a day after India enjoyed a hugely successful outing in the compound events, winning three gold medals on Wednesday.His medal also ensured India added another bronze to their growing tally, taking the country's haul to 63 medals.

Ganesh had earlier narrowly missed out on a place in the gold-medal contest after losing his semifinal 144-148 to Kim Jongho of South Korea. The Indian began the final end with consecutive 9s, but the deficit proved too difficult to overturn as Kim held on to advance to the final.Ganesh bounced back strongly in the bronze-medal match, delivering a near-perfect performance to finish on the podium.The focus in archery now shifts to the recurve events, which begin on Friday, giving India's archers another opportunity to add to the country's medal tally at Aichi-Nagoya.