India's pair of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod created history on Friday by winning the country's first-ever Asian Games silver medal in the mixed recurve team event.
The Indian duo lost 3-5 to China's Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi in the gold medal match at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.
China, however, secured more than just the gold medal. The victory also earned Zhu and Li the coveted LA 2028 Olympic quota.
China started strongly and won the opening set without much trouble after Kumkum's second arrow landed on the 7 mark. Dhiraj then produced India's only 10 in the second set, but China continued to build its advantage.
India fought back in the third set, with both Dhiraj and Kumkum finding a 10. China's Li Mengqi, meanwhile, scored a 7, allowing India to take the set and keep its hopes of a gold medal alive.
However, China responded in the fourth set with a score of 37. The result levelled the set score and ensured that the contest did not go into a shoot-off.
Despite the defeat, Dhiraj and Kumkum secured a historic silver for India in the mixed recurve team event, marking the country's first Asian Games medal in the event.
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India had earlier booked its place in the gold medal match after Japan's Asakuno Nanami and Nakanishi Junya squandered a 3-1 lead in the semifinal. The Japanese pair eventually lost 3-5, handing India a place in the final.
The silver adds another milestone to India's archery campaign at the Asian Games, with Dhiraj and Kumkum becoming the first Indian mixed recurve team to finish on the podium.
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