Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 2 (ANI): India's Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara settled for silver in the mixed recurve archery team event at the Asian Games 2026 after losing 3-5 to China's Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi in the gold-medal match on Friday.
The Indian pair, who had defeated Japan 5-3 in the semifinal earlier in the day, struggled to find their range in the opening two sets and fell 0-4 behind before mounting a fightback, according to ESPN.
China dominated the opening set 38-34 to take a 2-0 lead. Zhu produced two 10s, while Li added an 8 and a 10 as China established an early advantage.
India again fell short in the second set, losing 35-37. Kumkum managed only two 8s, while Dhiraj contributed a 9 and a 10, but Zhu and Li combined for 37 to put China 4-0 ahead.
Facing the prospect of the match ending in the third set, India responded strongly. Kumkum opened with an 8 before hitting a 10 with her second arrow, while Dhiraj added a 10 and a 9 to take India to 37.
China needed 18 points from their final two arrows to seal the gold, but after Zhu's 10, Li could manage only a 7. India won the set 37-36 to stay alive at 2-4.
The fourth set went down to the final arrow. India posted 37, with Kumkum hitting a 9 and a 10 and Dhiraj adding a pair of 9s.
China needed 19 from their final two arrows to win the match. Zhu shot a 9 before Li delivered a 10 to take China to 37, which tied the set and helped the Chinese pair seal the gold medal with a 5-3 victory.
The result also meant India missed out on the automatic Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification quota attached to the mixed team event. China secured the quota by winning the gold.
Despite the defeat, the silver added another medal to India's strong day in recurve archery.
Earlier, Kumkum, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma defeated South Korea 5-3 in the women's recurve team final to win gold and claim India's first-ever medal in the event at the Asian Games.
The victory was India's 11th gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, while the mixed team's silver took the country's overall medal tally to 68 -- 11 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze -- with India seventh on the medal table at the time of writing.
Kumkum, 17, was part of both the women's team gold-medal-winning side and the mixed team silver-winning pair on Friday, making her one of India's prominent performers in recurve archery at the Games. (ANI)
Asian Games: India settle for silver in mixed recurve archery team after 3-5 loss to China
