India smashes 45-year-old record to top archery medal tally at Asian Games 2023
Ajay Gandhar
For the first time since 1978, a non-Korea nation topped the medal table.
In a historic turn of events, India achieved a monumental feat at the Asian Games 2023, breaking the Korean stranglehold in archery that has dominated the medal tables for the past 45 years. India topped the archery medal tally with nine medals, including five gold. Archery powerhouse South Korea won more medals (11) but achieved one fewer gold medal (4) than India and were, therefore, places second.
The Indian archery contingent emerged as the game-changers, rewriting the narrative of Asian Games history and providing a thrilling saga.
India’s 16-member archery team took center stage in the Asian Games this year. From the very first arrow shot on October 1 until the closing of the curtains on October 7 at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, the Indian archers displayed unmatched skill and resilience.
Compound archery dominance
Indian compound archers etched their names in the annals of sporting history by not only sweeping all five gold medals but doing so with sheer dominance. Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale emerged as individual champions in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively.
Abhishek Verma added to the glory with a silver in the men’s individual category, while the prodigious 17-year-old Aditi Swami clinched a bronze in the women’s category. India’s compound archers also claimed gold in the men, women, and mixed-team events, with Vennam and Deotale contributing three golds each.
Recurve archery resurgence
The recurve archers, not to be outdone, secured two medals. Dhiraj Bommadevara, Olympian Atanu Das, and Tushar Shelke combined their skills to clinch a silver in the recurve men’s team event. Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat, and Simranjeet Kaur joined forces to claim the bronze in the recurve women’s team event.
Breaking the Korean dominance
A formidable archery powerhouse, Korea had reigned supreme in the Asian Games for decades. However, India’s exceptional performance in compound and recurve archery events propelled them to the top spot on the medal table for the first time since 1978. The former gold medalists, Korea, bagged 11 medals, including four golds. Their formidable presence added an extra layer of excitement and rivalry to the competition.
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A historic triumph
India’s journey at the Asian Games 2023 is nothing short of a historic triumph. The archery team’s unprecedented success not only brought home medals but also shattered decades-old records. The statistical evidence of this achievement is compelling. India’s archery contingent secured a total of nine medals, an outstanding feat in itself.
Even more impressively, these medals included five golds, signifying not only excellence but dominance in their respective events. With this groundbreaking achievement, India proudly asserts its presence on the international sporting stage, breaking free from the Korean dominance that has held sway for almost half a century.
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