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Indian archer Ankita Bhakat dedicated the country's historic women's recurve team gold at the Asian Games to her family, coaches, support staff and the entire nation after India defeated South Korea 5-3 in the final here on Friday.
Ankita, who teamed up with 17-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod and Kirti Sharma, said the medal was particularly special for her family, with her mother staying awake through the night due to the tension surrounding the final. "My family is overjoyed. My mother didn't sleep at all last night because of tension. So she is incredibly happy now. My father is very happy too. My whole family is all delighted. I want to dedicate this medal to my family, all my coaches, the support staff present here, and my entire country," Ankita told ANI. The gold was India's first-ever medal in the women's recurve team event at the Asian Games and came against a South Korean side that has traditionally dominated the discipline. Reflecting on the historic achievement, Ankita said the team had focused on enjoying the opportunity rather than putting pressure on themselves to win gold. "It feels amazing. We are overjoyed to have won a gold medal at the Asian Games for the first time. Our team bonding was incredibly strong, so we are very happy. We didn't come here with the mindset that we had to win gold. We simply focused on the fact that we had worked hard together for the past 2-3 months for this very day. Having been given the opportunity to compete here, we just wanted to enjoy the moment," she said. India made a strong start in the final, with the opening two sets ending level at 54-54 and 56-56 respectively. The teams were locked at 2-2 before India took control in the third set. Kirti opened with a 10, Ankita followed with a 9, and Kumkum added a 9 before South Korea faltered in the second rotation. India won the set 55-51 to take a 4-2 lead. South Korea responded strongly in the fourth set and led 28-26 after the opening rotation. India needed 28 from their final three arrows to level the set and secure the gold. Kirti and Ankita shot 9s before Kumkum delivered another crucial 10, allowing India to tie the set and seal a 5-3 victory. Kumkum's composure under pressure proved decisive throughout the final, with the teenager repeatedly producing 10s when India needed them most, while Ankita provided experience during the crucial stages. India had earlier defeated China 5-1 in the semifinal to reach their first women's recurve team final at the Asian Games. The gold was India's 12th at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Now, the country's overall medal tally is 70, comprising 12 gold, 24 silver and 34 bronze medals, at the time of writing. (ANI)
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