The Asian Archery Championships 2025 began with one of the most impressive qualification performances India has produced in compound men’s archery at the continental level.
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With a deep and balanced squad led by experienced names and rising talents, India finished the ranking round in second place, placed three archers inside the top six individually, and secured a direct berth into the quarterfinals, where they now await the winner between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The start marks a significant leap forward compared to the 2023 edition, where India finished with bronze medals in both the individual and team categories. This time, the numbers suggest a team capable of challenging Asia’s strongest nation, South Korea, for the top positions.
India entered the 2025 championship aiming to build upon their performance from the Asian Championships 2023, where Kazakhstan’s Andrey Tyutyun won the men’s individual gold, Korea’s Kim Jong-ho took silver, and India’s Abhishek Verma secured the bronze. In the men’s team event that year, Korea swept to gold, Kazakhstan took silver, and India earned bronze with a squad featuring Prathamesh Fuge, Priyansh Kumar, and Verma. That result reflected India’s solid presence, but it also exposed the gap between them and Korea, who remained the undisputed leaders in Asian compound archery.
Two years later, India have returned with greater depth and far more consistency. The individual ranking round set the tone immediately. Korea’s Kim Jong-ho, one of the continent’s most decorated compound archers and the 2023 silver medallist, topped the 2025 field with 715. Close behind was India’s veteran Abhishek Verma, who shot an excellent 713, demonstrating the same reliability that has made him a permanent fixture in the Asian top tier for more than a decade. Verma’s performance included 65 tens and 35 Xs, reflecting both precision and control across the two 50m halves.
The bigger boost for India came from two younger names. Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, shooting with maturity and steadiness, finished fourth with 709, displaying a level of competitive calm that elevated India’s standing significantly. Meanwhile, Prathamesh Fuge, a key member of India’s 2023 bronze-winning team, finished sixth with 707, maintaining his form and contributing crucial points to India’s team total.
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With Verma at 2nd, Jadhav at 4th, and Fuge at 6th, India emerged as the only nation other than Korea to place three archers inside the top six. This alone represented a major shift from previous years, where India often relied on one or two standout performers.
Their collective performance translated directly into the team ranking round, where the combined total of 216 arrows determines knockout seeding. Korea once again topped the qualification table with 2133, led by the trio of Choi Yong-hee, Kim Jong-ho, and Lee Eun-ho, supported by an impressive 103 Xs and 189 tens. India, however, finished just four points behind with 2129, a total built from 187 tens and 88 Xs. Vietnam (2110) and Iran (2109) followed in third and fourth positions, but neither came close to India’s consistency.
India’s score of 2129 is among their best-ever at the Asian Championships and represents the narrowest qualification gap between India and Korea in recent years. It also places India well ahead of the teams that historically challenge them in close matches, such as Kazakhstan, Iran, and Chinese Taipei. With this, India secured the No. 2 seed, ensuring they would avoid Korea until a potential gold-medal match. More importantly, the second-place finish awarded India a bye into the quarterfinals, allowing them to skip the 1/8 elimination round.
The knockout bracket now places India in the lower half, where they await the result of Malaysia vs Saudi Arabia. The winner of that match will face India in the quarterfinal on 11 November at 15:15 local time. On the opposite side, Korea will take on either Bangladesh or Chinese Taipei. Other notable 1/8 matchups include Kazakhstan vs Iraq, Vietnam vs Iran, and Thailand vs Bhutan, while Palestine faces Iran in one of the more closely balanced ties.
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The fact that India enters the knockout phase with three archers in strong individual form is crucial. Verma brings experience in handling medal-pressure matches, Jadhav arrives with momentum from his top-four ranking, and Fuge adds the stability India requires in close ends. Unlike in previous editions, India no longer depends on a single archer carrying the load; instead, they carry three who are capable of shooting above 707 in high-pressure conditions.
Looking back at the 2023 results, this is the clearest sign of India’s progress. That year, India entered the knockouts from third place, trailing both Korea and Kazakhstan. In 2025, they are ahead of Kazakhstan by a significant margin and are within striking distance of Korea. The numbers suggest that India’s compound men are not merely maintaining past levels but are beginning to challenge the continent’s very best.
For now, India’s focus shifts to their upcoming quarterfinal against the winner of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. With the ranking round completed and the knockout bracket set, the Indian team stands at the edge of another deep run.
Their qualification performance has placed them in one of their strongest positions ever at the Asian Championships, and the quarterfinal will determine whether this momentum can carry them into medal contention once again.
