India secured another gold medal at the Asian Games on Wednesday after the men’s compound archery team produced a dramatic comeback to defeat China 238-237 in the final. The closely fought contest saw India trail for most of the match before China’s late mistake opened the door for a narrow victory.
The Indian team featured Kushal Dalal, Sahil Yadav and Ganesh Maniratnam. China began strongly, scoring 10 with all six arrows in the opening series. India, however, recorded two nines and ended the series 58-60 behind.
The second series remained equally tight. China again maintained a perfect sequence, with one shot initially scored nine before a referee review upgraded it to 10. India also delivered six consecutive 10s, but still remained two points behind at 118-120.
The momentum shifted during the third series. India maintained its accuracy while one Chinese archer registered a nine, reducing the deficit to a single point at 178-179.
The decisive moment came in the fourth series when a Chinese archer scored an eight. India’s trio remained faultless, hitting 10 with every shot. China therefore had no opportunity to recover before India secured the gold.
India had earlier defeated South Korea 236-229 in the semifinal. Sahil Yadav had also won mixed-team compound gold alongside Chikita Taniparthi, adding another medal to India’s strong archery campaign.
The victory marked another significant success for Indian archery at the Games.
