AICHI-NAGOYA: India's women's recurve archery team defeated China 5-1 in the semifinal at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday morning, storming into the gold medal match where they will face South Korea later in the day.
The trio of Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma produced a composed performance against China's Yuwei Huang, Qi Yu and Jingyi Zhu, winning the first two sets before sealing the tie with a drawn third set.
How the match unfolded
India made a slow start, trailing 25-26 after the first rotation of the opening set as China shot first. But the Indians closed strongly, scoring 28 points in the second rotation to take the set 53-51 and move 2-0 ahead on set points.
The momentum carried into the second set. Kirti opened with a 10, and Ankita and Kumkum added an eight and nine to give India a two-point cushion. China finished on 52, but Kumkum produced a 10 with the final arrow to close the set 54-52 and push India 4-0 ahead.
China fought back in the third set, with both teams level at 25 after the first rotation and China finishing on 51. India needed only a tie to seal the semifinal, and held their nerve to finish on 51 themselves, drawing the set and completing the 5-1 victory.
Final against Korea later today
South Korea, who beat Indonesia 6-0 in the first semifinal, await India in the final — a heavyweight clash with LA 2028 Olympic qualification implications for the recurve team events. India will also be in action in two more recurve semifinals on Friday: the mixed team of Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara faces Japan, while the men's team of Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge takes on Iran.
Sources: The Tribune: Asian Games: India beat China 5-1 to reach archery women's recurve team final | Sportstar: Asian Games 2026 live updates, Day 14
The trio of Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma produced a composed performance against China's Yuwei Huang, Qi Yu and Jingyi Zhu, winning the first two sets before sealing the tie with a drawn third set.
How the match unfolded
India made a slow start, trailing 25-26 after the first rotation of the opening set as China shot first. But the Indians closed strongly, scoring 28 points in the second rotation to take the set 53-51 and move 2-0 ahead on set points.
The momentum carried into the second set. Kirti opened with a 10, and Ankita and Kumkum added an eight and nine to give India a two-point cushion. China finished on 52, but Kumkum produced a 10 with the final arrow to close the set 54-52 and push India 4-0 ahead.
China fought back in the third set, with both teams level at 25 after the first rotation and China finishing on 51. India needed only a tie to seal the semifinal, and held their nerve to finish on 51 themselves, drawing the set and completing the 5-1 victory.
Final against Korea later today
South Korea, who beat Indonesia 6-0 in the first semifinal, await India in the final — a heavyweight clash with LA 2028 Olympic qualification implications for the recurve team events. India will also be in action in two more recurve semifinals on Friday: the mixed team of Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara faces Japan, while the men's team of Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge takes on Iran.
Sources: The Tribune: Asian Games: India beat China 5-1 to reach archery women's recurve team final | Sportstar: Asian Games 2026 live updates, Day 14
