India's men's recurve archery team settled for the silver medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya after going down 1-5 to South Korea in the gold-medal clash on Friday, capping a remarkable day for Indian archery that also delivered a historic gold and another silver.
The Indian trio had stormed into the final with a commanding 6-0 victory over Iran in the semifinal earlier in the day, keeping their gold-medal hopes alive. But against the South Korean side — among the most dominant forces in world archery — India could not find the rhythm that had carried them through the semifinals, and the final slipped away.
The silver capped a medal-laden day for Indian archery. Earlier on Friday, the women's recurve team of Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma stunned South Korea 5-3 to win a historic maiden gold in the event, ending years of Korean dominance. Kumkum Mohod then paired with Dhiraj Bommadevara to take silver in the mixed recurve team event, losing the final to China and missing out on the direct qualification quota for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics that came with the title.
The archery medals added to a productive day for India's contingent. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain beat China's Ziyi Bao 5-0 to win the women's 75kg gold on her 29th birthday, becoming only the second Indian woman after MC Mary Kom to win an Asian Games boxing gold. Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal reached the men's 65kg freestyle final with a stunning comeback over Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka, while sailor Nethra Kumanan took bronze in the women's dinghy event.
India entered the final phase of the Aichi-Nagoya Games with medals still to contest across boxing, hockey, wrestling and track cycling. The women's hockey team was scheduled to face China in the gold-medal match later on Friday, with a direct ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics at stake.
Sources: Asian Games Live Day 13: Men's Recurve Team Wins Silver — The Economic Times | Asian Games 2026 Live Updates, October 2 — Outlook India
The Indian trio had stormed into the final with a commanding 6-0 victory over Iran in the semifinal earlier in the day, keeping their gold-medal hopes alive. But against the South Korean side — among the most dominant forces in world archery — India could not find the rhythm that had carried them through the semifinals, and the final slipped away.
The silver capped a medal-laden day for Indian archery. Earlier on Friday, the women's recurve team of Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma stunned South Korea 5-3 to win a historic maiden gold in the event, ending years of Korean dominance. Kumkum Mohod then paired with Dhiraj Bommadevara to take silver in the mixed recurve team event, losing the final to China and missing out on the direct qualification quota for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics that came with the title.
The archery medals added to a productive day for India's contingent. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain beat China's Ziyi Bao 5-0 to win the women's 75kg gold on her 29th birthday, becoming only the second Indian woman after MC Mary Kom to win an Asian Games boxing gold. Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal reached the men's 65kg freestyle final with a stunning comeback over Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka, while sailor Nethra Kumanan took bronze in the women's dinghy event.
India entered the final phase of the Aichi-Nagoya Games with medals still to contest across boxing, hockey, wrestling and track cycling. The women's hockey team was scheduled to face China in the gold-medal match later on Friday, with a direct ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics at stake.
Sources: Asian Games Live Day 13: Men's Recurve Team Wins Silver — The Economic Times | Asian Games 2026 Live Updates, October 2 — Outlook India
