Indian archer Neeraj Chauhan showcased remarkable consistency to clinch the men's individual recurve bronze medal at the Asian Games, contributing to India's dominant nine-medal haul in archery.
Key Points
- Neeraj Chauhan secured the men's individual recurve bronze medal at the Asian Games.
- He defeated top seed compatriot Dhiraj Bommadevara 6-4 in a tense all-Indian bronze medal match.
- Chauhan becomes only the second Indian male after Tarundeep Rai to win an individual recurve medal at the continental event.
- India concluded its Asian Games archery campaign leading the medal tally with nine medals, including five golds.
- Chauhan attributed his success to focusing on his capabilities and consistent practice, aiming for more hard work upon return.
Neeraj Chauhan's consistency proved to be the difference as he stunned top seed compatriot Dhiraj Bommadevara 6-4 to clinch the men's individual recurve bronze at the Asian Games here Saturday.
In a tense all-Indian duel, Neeraj recovered from a 2-4 deficit to outlast his more fancied opponent, sealing the win with a strong finish in the deciding set.
The victory made Neeraj only the second Indian male after Tarundeep Rai to win an individual recurve medal at the continental event. Rai had won the silver at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
India's Archery Dominance
"I just focused on my capabilities and repeated everything I was able to do. I want to do more hard work when I go back. I did some good things here, so I am going to continue with this work," Neeraj said.
India thus ended its archery campaign at the top of the standings with nine medals, including five golds, two silver and as many bronze.
The two archers had stood together on the podium on Friday after combining to win silver in the men's team event. But their paths crossed after both fell short in the semifinals, leaving them to fight for bronze.
Asked about his experience of competing against Dhiraj, Neeraj said, "Everything was good, the feeling was good. We have played many times together."
The Bronze Medal Showdown
Neeraj made the sharper start, taking the opening set after Dhiraj began with a 7. The top seed responded emphatically, stringing together three 10s to win the next two sets and move 4-2 ahead.
But Neeraj refused to let the contest slip away. He produced three perfect 10s as Dhiraj faltered with two 9s, drawing level at 4-4 and setting up a tense finish.
Dhiraj opened the decider with an 8 before recovering with two 10s. Neeraj, however, held his nerve, shooting 10, 9, 10 to edge out his senior.
Path To The Podium
Earlier, Dhiraj had gone down 3-7 to Paris Olympics bronze medallist South Korean Lee Woo Seok in the first semifinal, while Neeraj was outplayed 1-7 by Japan's Junya Nakanishi.
Asked how he bounced back after losing his semifinal, Neeraj said, "I talked to myself about what I needed to do, that I was capable of doing it. And then I just shot thinking that."
Dhiraj had defeated Uzbekistan's Amirkhon Sadikov 6-2 (29-27, 29-27, 28-28, 28-28) in the quarterfinals, while Neeraj advanced to the semifinals with a 7-1 (26-20, 27-24, 26-26, 28-27) win over Bhutan's Lam Dorji.
