The 2025 Asian Archery Championship in Dhaka will be remembered as a turning point in Indian archery a tournament where long-standing hierarchies shifted, new stars emerged, and India delivered a performance that combined precision, maturity, and unprecedented mental strength.
Held from 8 to 14 November across the National Stadium and the Bangladesh Army Stadium, the competition featured over 200 archers from 29 nations. Yet through the week, it was India that consistently stood tallest. Asian archery has historically been defined by South Korean dominance in recurve and a deep field across compound led by Iran, Chinese Taipei, and Kazakhstan. But Dhaka 2025 showed that India is no longer the challenger it is now firmly among the sport’s continental leaders.
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In men’s recurve, young Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge shot a personal best of 687, including nine X-10s, giving India a psychological boost heading into eliminations. His precision in shifting Dhaka winds demonstrated the evolution of India’s technical consistency an area that once separated them from Korea.
On the compound side, Deepshikha topped women’s qualification with a powerful 705, a score that reflects world-class consistency and tight arrow grouping. Among the men, Korea’s Kim Jongho led with 715, but the real story was the fact that nineteen men crossed 700 a remarkably deep field, which made India’s later dominance all the more meaningful.
Recurve Renaissance: India Breaks a 20-Year Pattern
The most significant storyline of Dhaka 2025 was India’s breakthrough in recurve archery the Olympic discipline and the one where Korea has historically maintained a stranglehold.
Dhiraj Bommadevara’s Gold: A New Standard for Indian Recurve
Dhiraj’s gold in the men’s individual recurve category was far more than a medal it was a technical and psychological statement. His 6–2 win in the final showcased:
- Clean set control,
- Tight grouping under pressure,
- Rapid correction after any sub-optimal arrow.
Dhiraj never let matches drift into unpredictable shoot-offs, maintaining control from start to finish. This was the clearest evidence yet that India’s recurve men can now sustain elite-level performance across an entire elimination bracket something that had eluded them for two decades.
Ankita Bhakat Defeats a Korean Olympic Medallist
In women’s recurve, Ankita Bhakat’s 7–3 win over Nam Suhyeon, the reigning Olympic silver medallist, was a monumental breakthrough. Korea’s women typically win more than 70% of their Asian duels.
Ankita’s victory wasn’t luck it was strategic, disciplined archery against one of the world’s most stable performers. Her semi-final shoot-off win against teammate and Olympian Deepika Kumari further showcased the depth and internal competition now driving Indian recurve.
The Day India Ended an 18-Year Wait. Nothing defined Dhaka 2025 more dramatically than India’s gold in the men’s recurve team event their first since 2007.
The trio of Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, and Rahul produced a performance that pulsed with confidence and clarity. Their timing, communication, and pressure handling were flawless across the eliminations, but the real test came in the final against South Korea the giants of this discipline.
Few expected India to win. Fewer expected them to dominate mentally.
Through shifting winds and multiple high-stakes arrows, India matched Korea shot for shot. When the match moved to a shoot-off, India held their nerve. Atanu Das delivered the decisive inner 10 closer to the centre than Korea’s sealing one of the most significant team victories in Indian archery history. This wasn’t just a gold.
It was the dismantling of an 18-year psychological barrier.
Compound Women: India’s Queens of Continental Dominance
If recurve signaled India’s rise, compound archery reaffirmed India’s supremacy.
A Gold That Was Expected and Delivered Perfectly
The team of Deepshikha, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, and Prithika Pradeep was clinical. They defeated Korea 236–234, scoring 59 in all four ends a level of consistency that only the very best teams achieve. India’s women have long been forces in compound, but what stood out in Dhaka was their instinctive coordination. Their shot rhythms aligned beautifully. Their adjustments to wind and humidity were instantaneous. Their trust in each other was evident.
This wasn’t an upset. This was dominance.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam’s Hat-trick: A Modern Great
In the all-Indian women’s final, Jyothi Surekha Vennam beat teenager Prithika Pradeep 147–145 to claim her third individual Asian title after wins in 2015 and 2021. Her ability to absorb pressure honed through years of international finals allowed her to stay locked in, end after end. With two gold medals in Dhaka, Jyothi reinforced her position as one of the finest compound archers Asia has produced.
Mixed Team Precision: Verma and Deepshikha Deliver Another Gold
In the compound mixed team final, Abhishek Verma and Deepshikha overcame a slow start to beat Bangladesh 153–151. The comeback was notable because mixed team events rely heavily on communication and rhythm qualities the Indian pair used to recover quickly, synchronize shot timings, and eventually take control of the match.
Their gold was India’s second consecutive Asian title in this event a promising sign with compound mixed set to debut at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Compound Men: Narrow Margins, Valuable Lessons
The men’s compound team missed gold by a razor-thin 230–229 margin to Kazakhstan. At this level, finals often pivot on a single arrow or momentary lapse. India’s final-end score of 59 reflected strong closing discipline an encouraging sign for future Olympic cycles.
A Historic Medal Tally and a Clear Upward Trajectory
India ended the championship with:
6 Gold, 3 Silver & 1 Bronze and a 10 medals in total
This surpassed the tallies of 2021 and 2023, both of which stood at seven medals. More importantly, Dhaka marked the first time India won multiple recurve gold medals a discipline long dominated by Korea.
The shift wasn’t just quantitative but qualitative India won under pressure, against the strongest opponents, and in events where the margins were razor-thin.
India’s New Competitive Superpower: Pressure Handling
Perhaps the most defining feature of Dhaka 2025 was India’s composure under pressure.
Across the week:
- India won a shoot-off against Korea in men’s recurve
- Ankita won a shoot-off in the women’s semifinal
- Compound mixed reversed an early deficit
- Compound women held high scores across shifting winds
This consistency in clutch situations represents the most significant cultural shift in Indian archery in decades. For years, India was known for strong qualification scores but inconsistent finals. In Dhaka, the opposite happened:
India got stronger as rounds progressed. This newfound resilience is the clearest indicator that India is now continental elite and edging toward world-level competitiveness.
A Moment That Marks the Beginning of Something Bigger India’s performance in Dhaka wasn’t just a medal haul it was a structural coming-of-age moment. Recurve showed it can win against Korea. Compound reaffirmed its Gulf-sized supremacy.
New names rose, experienced archers delivered, and India displayed mental toughness that has historically separated champions from contenders. Asian archery has a new equation now and India stands firmly at the centre of it.
The road to LA 2028 begins here.
