Indian archer Neeraj Chauhan created history at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, winning the bronze medal in the men's individual recurve event after defeating compatriot Dhiraj Bommadevara 6-4 in an all-Indian medal clash.
The 24-year-old became only the second Indian male archer after Tarundeep Rai, who won silver at the 2010 Guangzhou Games in China, to win an individual recurve medal at the Asian Games.
Neeraj also secured India's ninth archery medal at the 2026 Asian Games with the victory.
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Neeraj Chauhan vs Dhiraj Bommadevara: How The Match Unfolded
Dhiraj got off to a difficult start after shooting a 7 with his first arrow in the opening set. Neeraj capitalised on the mistake, hitting two 10s and a 9 to win the set and take an early lead.
The 25-year-old from Vijayawada responded strongly in the next two sets. He edged Neeraj 28-27 in the second before winning the third 29-28 to take a 4-2 lead.
Neeraj bounced back under pressure, shooting a perfect 30 in the fourth set while Dhiraj managed 28. That levelled the contest at 4-4.
The final set again went down to the wire. Dhiraj opened with an 8, putting himself on the back foot. He followed it with two 10s, but Neeraj stayed on target. Needing a 10 with his final arrow to win, the 24-year-old found the inner circle to seal a 6-4 victory and claim the bronze medal.
Neeraj Adds Second Medal At Asian Games
The bronze is Neeraj's second medal of the 2026 Asian Games.
His historic individual medal adds to India's strong showing in archery at the continental event, with the country continuing to collect medals across the recurve and compound events.
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The all-Indian bronze medal clash also meant that India was guaranteed another medal in the men's individual recurve event, with Neeraj eventually finishing on the podium after his 6-4 victory over Dhiraj.
India had a great start on Saturday, with 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod scripting history by winning the country's first medal in the women's individual recurve event.
She went one step further by claiming the gold medal after defeating South Korean archer Oh Yejin in a dramatic shoot-off.
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