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India defeated China 5-1 in the women's recurve team semifinal at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday to book a place in the gold medal match, where they will face South Korea.
Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma combined to produce a composed performance and secured the semifinal with scores of 53-51, 54-52 and 51-51 across the three sets, according to ESPN. The Indian trio made a slow start, trailing China 25-26 after the first rotation of the opening set. However, a strong finish saw India score 28 points in the second rotation to take the set 53-51 and move 2-0 ahead. India maintained the momentum in the second set. Kirti began with a 10 before Ankita and Kumkum added an eight and nine respectively, giving India a two-point advantage after the first rotation. China finished the set with 52 points, but India closed on 54, with Kumkum producing a 10 with the final arrow to put her side 4-0 ahead. China fought back in the third set, with both teams level at 25 after the first rotation. India then took a one-point lead after the second rotation, but China finished on 51. India needed only a tied set to seal the semifinal, and they held their nerve to finish on 51 and draw the third set, completing a 5-1 victory. The result sends India into the women's recurve team final against South Korea later in the day. The Indian archers will be looking to add another gold medal to the country's tally, with the recurve team events also carrying significance in the context of LA 2028 Olympic qualification. India will have further opportunities in recurve archery on Friday, with the mixed team and men's team semifinals also scheduled. Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara will face Japan in the mixed team semifinal, while Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge will take on Iran in the men's team semifinal. The mixed recurve team event offers an additional incentive, with the champion National Olympic Committee set to earn one men's and one women's quota for the LA 2028 Olympics. India's women's hockey team will also be chasing gold later in the day when it takes on defending champion China in the final at 3:30 PM IST. A victory would give India its first Asian Games women's hockey gold since 1982 and secure a direct qualification quota for LA 2028. Boxing will provide three more gold-medal opportunities, with Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain facing China's Ziyi Bao in the women's 75kg final at 10 AM. Parveen Hooda will meet Olympic medallist Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei in the women's 65kg final at 2:15 PM, followed by Ankush Panghal's men's 80kg final against Republic of Korea's Minseong Kim. Wrestling will also see four Indians begin their campaigns, while India is already assured of a medal in the men's quadrant sepaktakraw after reaching the semifinals. Track cycling, sailing, golf, canoe slalom, rugby sevens, taekwondo and volleyball will complete India's action-packed Day 13 at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. (ANI)
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