Asian Games 2026: India Wins Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals in Archery, Boxing, Sailing and Sepaktakraw

India continued its medal-winning run at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, adding gold, silver and bronze medals across archery, boxing, sailing and sepaktakraw.

The day was headlined by a historic gold in women’s recurve archery, while India also collected two silver medals in recurve events, a bronze in sailing and another bronze in sepaktakraw. Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain also added a gold medal to the tally, defeating China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women’s 75kg final on her 29th birthday.

How did India make history in women’s recurve archery?

Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma defeated South Korea 5-3 in the gold-medal match to secure India’s first-ever gold in the women’s recurve team event at the Asian Games.

The victory was particularly significant given South Korea’s dominance in the discipline. Three Korean archers had finished among the top four in the qualification rankings, while India’s three archers had been placed 10th, 20th and 25th.

India nevertheless held its nerve throughout a closely fought final.

The opening set ended 54-54, with Kumkum producing a crucial 10 under pressure. The second set followed a similar pattern, with both teams scoring 56 to leave the contest level at 2-2.

India then made the decisive move in the third set. Kirti opened with a 10, Ankita followed with a 9 and Kumkum added another 9. South Korea faltered in the second rotation, with all three Korean archers scoring 8s. India finished the set 55-51 to take a 4-2 lead.

The final set once again came down to pressure shooting. South Korea opened with 28 points, while India responded through Kirti and Ankita, who both scored 9s. Kumkum was left needing a 10 to bring India to the required 28 points and secure the gold.

The 17-year-old delivered once again.

Her final 10 tied the set and gave India a 5-3 victory, completing a landmark triumph for the Indian women's recurve team.

How did Kumkum Mohod help India hold its nerve against South Korea?

Kumkum emerged as one of the defining performers of the final, repeatedly producing 10s when India needed them most.

Her final arrow was particularly decisive. With the gold within reach, India needed to match South Korea's 28 points in the final rotation. After Kirti and Ankita had both scored 9s, Kumkum had to produce a 10 to bring India level.

She did exactly that, sealing India's historic victory.

The gold also marked India's first-ever medal in the women's recurve team event at the Asian Games.

What happened in the mixed and men’s recurve archery finals?

Kumkum and Dhiraj Bommadevara added a silver medal in the mixed recurve team event after losing 3-5 to China's Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi.

The Indian pair, who had defeated Japan 5-3 in the semifinal, struggled in the opening two sets and fell 0-4 behind. They fought back by winning the third set 37-36, but China held its nerve in the fourth.

India posted 37 in the final set, while China also reached 37 to secure the gold and the accompanying automatic Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification quota.

India later secured another silver in the men's recurve team event. Dhiraj Bommadevara, Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge and Neeraj Chauhan lost 1-5 to South Korea in the final.

The result gave India three medals from recurve archery on the day, including its first-ever women's team gold.

How did Lovlina Borgohain add another gold to India’s medal tally?

Lovlina Borgohain defeated China's Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women's 75kg final to win gold on her 29th birthday.

The victory gave India its first-ever Asian Games gold medal in the women's 75kg category and added another major medal to the country's campaign.

Lovlina produced a composed performance against an aggressive Bao, relying on counter-punching to control the contest. She edged the opening round 3-2, won the second 4-1 and then took the final round unanimously to complete the 5-0 victory.

The Japanese setting also carried personal significance for Lovlina, who won an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo.

After the victory, she reflected on the difficult periods in her career and revealed that she had once considered quitting boxing.

“This is the most special birthday for me. I don't think I have ever given myself such a grand gift on my birthday. I came here with the mindset that I wanted a gold medal on my birthday,” she said.

She later celebrated with cake alongside Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh and her Asian Games teammates.

How did Nethra Kumanan win bronze in sailing?

Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan secured bronze in the women's dinghy event after recovering strongly in the second and final race.

Nethra finished level on points with Hong Kong's Stephanie Louise Norton, but her superior head-to-head result against Norton gave her the bronze medal.

The result added another medal to India's sailing campaign at Aichi-Nagoya, with Indian sailors already having won medals in the men's and women's skiff events.

How did India secure another medal in sepaktakraw?

India's men's quadrant team of Malemnganba Singh Sorokhaibam, Ram Kumar Sharma, Bobby Kumar and Akash Yumnam secured bronze after losing 0-2 to Japan in the semifinal.

Japan won 15-12, 15-13, but India's run to the semifinal had already assured the team of a podium finish.

The Indian quadrant had earlier defeated World Cup winners Myanmar in the group stage, making the bronze medal a significant result for the team.

It is India's third Asian Games medal in sepaktakraw. India had previously won bronze in the men's team regu event at Jakarta 2018 and in the women's team regu event at Hangzhou 2022.

What does India’s latest medal haul mean for its Asian Games campaign?

Friday's results added medals across four different sports and further strengthened India's campaign in Aichi-Nagoya.

The day's biggest breakthrough came in women's recurve archery, where India finally converted its first appearance in an Asian Games women's recurve team final into gold. The country also collected two more medals in the men's and mixed recurve events.

Lovlina's boxing gold added another major title to the day's tally, while Nethra Kumanan's sailing bronze and the sepaktakraw team's bronze extended India's medal spread beyond the more established disciplines.

With the Games entering their final stretch, India continued to add medals across a range of sports, with Friday producing a particularly varied haul from the archery range, boxing ring, sailing course and sepaktakraw court.

(With inputs from ANI)