Dhiraj Bommadevara Sets Asian Games Recurve Record, India Second in Team Events
India's Dhiraj Bommadevara shot 698 out of a maximum 720 to top the men's recurve qualification at the Asian Games in Okazaki City on Saturday, setting a new Games qualification record in the process.
The 25-year-old Army archer, ranked fourth in the world and fresh from his victory at the World Cup Final, was consistent through both halves of the 72-arrow round. He scored 348 over his first 36 arrows, then dropped just 10 points in the second half to add 350 and finish on 698.
The previous Asian Games qualification record of 690 belonged to Korea's Lee Woo Seok. On Saturday, Lee finished fourth with 687. Korea's Kim Je Deok, a member of the Paris Olympics gold-medal winning team, was second with 693, while Chin-Hun Tang of Chinese Taipei took third place with 692.
The leading position gives Dhiraj a bye into the second round of the 64-archer individual elimination draw. Lee, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, could meet him in the semifinals if both archers progress that far. Dhiraj holds a 2-1 head-to-head record against the Korean, who is ranked 19th in the world.
This is Dhiraj's second Asian Games appearance. He exited in the quarterfinals at Hangzhou. India have never won a gold in the men's recurve individual event at the Asian Games, with Tarundeep Rai's silver in 2010 remaining the country's best result.
Among India's other recurve archers, Neeraj Chauhan finished 18th with 676 and Yashdeep Bhoge was 25th with 665, missing the knockout stage. Only the top two archers from each country advance to the elimination draw.
There was a surprise in the Korean camp, where Kim Woojin, who was aiming for a third Asian Games gold, finished third among his country's archers and failed to make the individual elimination round.
In the men's team qualification, India finished second behind Korea. As second seeds in the 32-team draw, they received a bye into the pre-quarterfinals, where they will face the Philippines. Three wins would secure a medal. India had won the men's team silver at Hangzhou.
In the women's compound section, 21-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi gave India a strong start by topping the individual qualification with 705 points out of 720. Iran's Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei was a close second with 704, while Korea's Park Jungyoon and Kang Yeonseo took the third and fourth spots.
Triple Asian Games gold medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam was the next best Indian, finishing 13th to make the cut for the elimination rounds. Teenager Prithika Pradeep, who won her first World Cup bronze in Madrid this year, missed out on an individual place. She scored 695 to finish third among the Indian archers, with only the top two from each country advancing.
India took the second seed in the women's compound team event behind China and will begin their campaign against Mongolia in the 16-team draw. At Hangzhou in 2023, India swept all five compound gold medals on offer, besides winning one silver and one bronze.
The women's recurve and men's compound qualifications were scheduled to be held later in the day.
