Indian Archers Shine at Asian Games 2026, Advancing to Quarterfinals

Indian Archers Excel in Quarterfinals

Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 29: Indian archers Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan have successfully reached the quarterfinals of the men's recurve individual event at the Asian Games 2026, showcasing impressive performances in the Round of 16.

Top-seeded Dhiraj triumphed over Cheng Hsiang-Hui from Chinese Taipei with a score of 6-2, while Neeraj delivered a remarkable upset against South Korea's renowned Olympic medallist Kim Je Deok, winning 6-4, as reported by ESPN.

Earlier, Dhiraj had a dominant victory against Girvin Garcia from the Philippines, winning 6-0 in the Round of 32. Although he faced a tougher challenge from Cheng, he maintained his composure to secure the match 6-2. Dhiraj is set to compete against Uzbekistan's Amirkon Sadikov in the quarterfinals on October 3.

Neeraj's victory over Kim was one of the standout moments of the day. He started strong, taking a 3-1 lead, but Kim fought back to equalize at 3-3. After a tied set, the match was left to be decided in the final set, where Neeraj held his nerve to clinch a 6-4 win. He will face Bhutan's Dorji Lam next.

Dhiraj's earlier match against Garcia was notably swift, as he completed the win in just nine arrows, with six of his shots hitting the 10-ring.

In other news, India's surfing campaign concluded as Kishore Kumar Anbarasu was defeated in the men's shortboard quarterfinal by Toby Espejon from the Philippines. Kishore scored 5.37 from his best two waves, while Espejon achieved 8.53.

On the athletics front, Gulveer Singh is aiming for his third medal in the men's 5000m final after securing silver in both the 1500m and 10,000m events. Avinash Sable will also compete in the 5000m, alongside three Indian relay teams in medal races, including the men's and women's 4x400m and mixed 4x100m finals.

In boxing, Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal, and Narender Berwal are set to compete in their semi-finals, each guaranteed at least a bronze medal. Parveen will face China's Li Shu in the women's 65kg semi-final, Ankush will take on Uzbekistan's Fazliddin Erkinboev in the men's 80kg category, and Narender will meet Kazakhstan's Aibek Oralbay in the men's +90kg bout.

Additionally, India will participate in various sports including shooting, squash, volleyball, tennis, cycling, canoe slalom, sport climbing, and kurash on Tuesday.