President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday congratulated archer Neeraj Chauhan on winning the bronze medal in the men’s individual recurve event at the Asian Games after defeating compatriot Dhiraj Bommadevara in the bronze-medal playoff in Okazaki.
Murmu highlighted the significance of an all-Indian third-place contest, saying the presence of two Indian archers in the bronze-medal match underlined the country’s growing presence in individual recurve archery.
“Congratulations to Neeraj Chauhan on securing the Bronze Medal in the Recurve Men’s Individual event in Archery at the Asian Games 2026,” Murmu wrote on X.
“With both archers in the Bronze Medal match being Indians, it was a special moment for Indian recurve archery. Your medal adds to India’s strong presence on the individual recurve podium at the Games and is a proud achievement for Indian archery. My best wishes to you for many more achievements,” she added.
Neeraj defeated Dhiraj 6-4 to claim bronze, while Dhiraj finished fourth.
India completed its archery campaign with nine medals — five gold, two silver and two bronze — finishing with the same medal tally as at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where it also won five gold, two silver and two bronze. South Korea had won 11 medals in Hangzhou, including four gold, four silver and three bronze.
Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod was among the standout performers for India, winning individual and team recurve gold as well as a mixed-event silver.
Kumkum became the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games after defeating South Korea’s Oh Yejin 6-5 in a shoot-off. She also teamed up with Kirti Sharma and Ankita Bhakat to win India’s first-ever women’s recurve team gold at the Games, defeating 10-time champions South Korea in the final.
Kumkum also won silver in the mixed event alongside Dhiraj.
India also secured three gold medals in the compound team events. The men’s team of Sahil Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru and Kushal Dalal defeated China in the final, while Chikitha Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep beat China to win the women’s compound team gold.
Sahil and Chikitha then combined to defeat South Korea in the mixed team final and secure India’s third compound gold.
(IANS Inputs)
