India, Oct 02 : India’s Kumkum Mohod and Dhiraj Bommadevara fought back from an early setback to defeat Japan 5-3 in the mixed recurve semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, securing another opportunity to win gold in archery.
The Indian pair were forced to recover after losing the opening set and drawing the second. Japan moved into a 3-1 lead, leaving India with little room for error in the remaining stages of the semifinal.
Instead of allowing the deficit to determine the contest, Mohod and Bommadevara produced a response in the final two sets. Their comeback gave them a 5-3 victory and a place in the gold-medal match.
The result came on a significant day for Mohod, who had already been part of India’s historic women’s recurve team gold earlier on Friday alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma. That victory ended South Korea’s seven-edition winning streak in the women’s team recurve event.
Mohod’s second final of the day therefore added another important chapter to India’s recurve campaign. The mixed-team event also carries implications beyond the Asian Games medal table because the discipline is linked to qualification opportunities for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The mixed-team semifinal began with Japan taking the opening set 19-17. The second set ended level at 36-36, giving Japan a 3-1 advantage in set points.
India then changed the momentum of the contest. The pair delivered stronger shooting in the next two sets and secured both, completing the turnaround at 5-3.
The comeback was particularly important because the mixed recurve format leaves little margin for mistakes. Each set can swing quickly on a handful of arrows, making consistency essential when a team falls behind.
Mohod and Bommadevara managed to recover without allowing the early deficit to affect their approach. Their performance ensured India remained in contention for another recurve gold medal after the women’s team had already reached the top of the podium.
The mixed team competition has been one of the important events in the archery programme at Aichi-Nagoya because of the Olympic qualification opportunities attached to it. Eight LA28 quota places are available across the recurve and compound mixed-team disciplines at the Games.
The Indian pair’s route to the semifinal had included victories over the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Their progress continued into Friday, when they defeated Japan after being pushed into an uncomfortable position early in the contest.
The victory also added to India’s expanding medal collection in archery. According to the Indian Express medal tally, India had already won several archery medals at the Games, including golds in men’s and women’s compound team events, mixed compound and the women’s recurve team competition.
For Bommadevara, the mixed event has provided another opportunity to compete for a major international medal alongside a younger teammate. His presence has added experience to the pair as they negotiate the pressure of the knockout stages.
Mohod, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the central figures in India’s recurve campaign. Her contribution to the women’s team gold was followed by the mixed-team semifinal victory later in the day.
The schedule placed the mixed recurve semifinal after the women’s team competition. The official Asian Games archery programme listed the mixed-team semifinals on October 2, followed by the bronze and gold-medal matches.
India’s comeback against Japan also underlined the importance of finishing strongly. With Japan holding the early advantage, India needed to win both remaining sets to reach the final without a shoot-off. The pair accomplished that task by maintaining their accuracy when the pressure was at its highest.
The gold-medal match was set to bring another major test for the Indian combination. China’s Jingyi Zhu and Mengqi Li eventually won the final 5-3, leaving Mohod and Bommadevara with silver. The Indian pair had fought back from 0-4 and briefly threatened to force a deciding shoot-off before China closed out the contest.
The silver medal gave India another podium finish in archery and took the country’s archery tally at the Games to six medals according to the Times of India report: four gold, one silver and one bronze at the time of publication.
The final also showed the competitive depth of the event. India had to recover from an early deficit against Japan, while China also progressed through a demanding semifinal route before meeting the Indian pair for gold.
For Mohod, the day produced both a historic team title and a mixed-team silver. Her performances placed her among India’s notable contributors in the recurve events at Aichi-Nagoya.
The result also strengthens India’s presence in a discipline that has produced several medals during the Games. Earlier, Indian compound archers had collected team gold medals, while the recurve programme added further success through the women’s team.
The mixed-team format is especially significant because it requires coordination between male and female archers. Each athlete must manage the pressure of the same target while adapting to the partner’s rhythm and performance.
Against Japan, India’s ability to regain control after falling behind demonstrated that the pair could respond to changing circumstances within a short contest.
Although the gold ultimately went to China, the silver added another medal to India’s archery campaign and maintained the country’s strong presence across the recurve events.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games have therefore become an important stage for India’s archers, with the women’s team breaking a long-standing South Korean sequence and the mixed pair adding another podium finish.
For Mohod in particular, October 2 became a memorable day. She began it as part of the women’s recurve team that created history and ended it with a silver medal in the mixed recurve competition alongside Bommadevara.
The performances also give India additional momentum as the archery programme moves through its remaining events. With medals already secured across compound and recurve categories, the Indian contingent has continued to make an impact in one of the Games’ key precision sports.