Gold medal secured! India’s women recurve archers defeat South Korea in final

India's Kumkum Anil Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti celebrate after winning the gold medal (REUTERS)

India’s women’s recurve archery team created history on Friday, defeating world champions South Korea 5-3 to claim its maiden Asian Games gold medal.Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in windy conditions to overcome the 10-time Olympic champions in a closely fought final.

Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyThe opening two sets were evenly contested, with the teams sharing the points after both produced scores of 54 and 56 respectively.South Korea then faltered in the third set. The Korean trio of reigning world champion Kang Chaeyoung, Oh Yejin and Lee Yunji hit three successive 8s to finish with 52 points.

India capitalised on the opening, scoring 55 to take the set and move ahead.The fourth set went down to the wire. Korea managed 54 points, while Kirti initially registered an 8 with her opening shot.

The score was later changed to 9, taking India’s total to 54.That levelled the scores in the set and was enough to seal the gold medal for India.The Indian team had earlier secured its place in the final by beating China 5-1 in the semifinal, reaching the Asian Games title clash for the first time.India’s women’s recurve team had won bronze at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, but went one step further in Friday’s final to secure its first Asian Games gold in the event.