Top five medal prospects for India in Archery at Hangzhou Asian Games 2023

Indian archers have won a total of 10 medals in the Continental meet.

The upcoming Asian Games 2023, to be held in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China, will witness the participation of a 16-member Indian archery team. This formidable team includes renowned world champions, Aditi Gopichand Swami and Ojas Pravin Deotale.

Archery events in the 19th edition are scheduled to take place from October 1 to 7 at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre. Spectators in India can catch all the live-action of these competitions.

The quadrennial extravaganza will encompass both recurve and non-Olympic compound disciplines. Medal events will be held in various categories including men’s individual, women’s individual, men’s team, women’s team, and mixed team. Each category promises an exhilarating display of skill, precision, and mental toughness as archers from different nations go head-to-head to claim the coveted medals.

Indian archery has been on a steady rise in recent years, with talented athletes consistently achieving remarkable results on the international stage. The Indian archers have been putting in tremendous effort, undergoing rigorous training sessions to enhance their technique, physical fitness, and mental resilience. Their dedication and hard work have brought them several accolades and have earned them the respect of the global archery fraternity.

India has an impressive track record in archery at the Asian Games, having won a total of ten medals so far, consisting of one gold, four silver, and five bronze medals. Notably, India secured two silver medals in the compound category during the previous edition in 2018 - compound women’s team and men’s team. The only gold medal was clinched during the 2014 edition when the men’s Compound team emerged victorious by defeating Korea in the final showdown.

In this article let’s look out at the top five medal prospects for India in Archery:

5. Dhiraj Bommadevara

Dhiraj Bommadevara will be participating in the recurve category at the Asian Games 2023. He exhibited remarkable performance in his debut World Cup Final, astounding Kim Woo-jin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Korea, and achieved an impressive fourth place finish. Throughout this season, he has garnered four medals in the World Cup demonstrating great ambition and determination for success.

To secure four World Cup medals in his inaugural World Cup season is undoubtedly commendable. Presently, he holds the fifteenth position in the World ranking for recurve men.

4. Aditi Gopichand Swami

Aditi Gopichand is one of the top medal prospects for India at the Asian Games. She underwent a remarkable transformation in the last few days. She soared from being a World Archery youth Champion to attaining the coveted title of World Champion in the women's individual compound event. Displaying sheer mastery, the 17-year-old emerged victorious in the compound women's category at the esteemed Hyundai World Archery Championships held in Berlin.

The world champion further embellished her exceptional year, marked by her remarkable achievement as a dual youth world champion. This notable feat was accomplished through her triumphs in both the individual and team categories during the World Archery Youth Championships 2023 held in Limerick earlier in July.

3. Ojas Pravin Deotale

The next bet for India to win a medal in Archery is Ojas Pravin Deotale. He demonstrated unparalleled skill and determination by achieving a historic victory in the compound men's category at the 2023 Hyundai World Archery Championships in Berlin.

With a flawless performance, Pravin achieved a perfect score of 150 in the final round, narrowly defeating the highly competent Lukasz Przybylski from Poland. This remarkable achievement not only establishes Deotale as the first Indian male archer to claim an individual world title but also highlights his remarkable consistency throughout the competition, with a mere three points dropped throughout the entire day.

2. Jyothi Surekha Vennam

After grabing historic team gold in the compound category, alongside Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur, and an individual bronze at the Berlin World Championship last month, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, a 27-year-old archer, will undoubtedly set her sights on a medal at the prestigious Asian Games 2023.

Over the years, Jyothi has amassed several silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. However, it was in 2023 that she finally broke the cycle and claimed her first gold medal. The Indian women's team emerged victorious over top-seeded Mexico to secure the gold medal. Undoubtedly, a triumph that will illuminate Jyothi's legacy in the world of archery.

1. Abhishek Verma

In light of India's potential in securing medals at the upcoming Asian Games 2023, it is imperative to acknowledge the consistent performance of Abhishek Verma in recent times. Renowned for his expertise in compound archery, Abhishek Verma achieved an extraordinary milestone by clinching the prestigious gold medal at the third stage of the Archery World Cup 2023, which took place in Medellin, Colombia, in June 2023.

Demonstrating remarkable talent and unwavering determination, the 33-year-old outshone his formidable opponent James Lutz from the United States, the reigning world champion of 2019, with a slender margin of 148-146. It is noteworthy that this triumph signifies Abhishek Verma's first World Cup victory of the year, augmenting his prior individual gold medal earned in Paris two years earlier.

With a cumulative tally of three individual gold medals in the esteemed Archery World Cup, Abhishek Verma has undoubtedly established himself as a prominent figure in the realm of this captivating sport.