India Beat China 5-1 to Reach Asian Games Women's Recurve Team Final

India's women’s recurve team delivered a composed performance under pressure to defeat China 5-1 in the second semifinal at the 2026 Asian Games and secure a place in the gold-medal match.

Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti recovered from a one-point deficit in the opening rotation and gradually took control of the semifinal, winning the first two sets before closing out the contest with a tied third set. The result sends India into the final, where South Korea awaits after a dominant 6-0 semifinal victory over Indonesia.

The recurve team format makes every arrow particularly significant. Each team shoots three arrows per set in the contest, with two set points awarded for a set win and one point to each team for a tie. The first team to five set points wins the match.

India ultimately reached that five-point mark after just three sets.

China, represented by Yuwei Huang, Qi Yu and Jingyi Zhu, had the better start. Huang opened with a 10, Qi Yu followed with a 6 and Zhu finished the first rotation with another 10. China therefore produced 26 points from its opening three arrows.

India responded through Kirti, Ankita Bhakat and Kumkum Mohod. Kirti began with a 9, Ankita followed with a 7 and Kumkum added another 9, leaving India at 25.

The opening rotation therefore belonged to China by a single point.

India, however, immediately changed the momentum in the second rotation. Huang shot 8, Qi Yu 8 and Zhu 9, giving China a second-rotation total of 25 and an overall score of 51.

India needed 26 to tie the set and 27 to win it.

Kirti started the response with a 10, immediately reducing the pressure. Ankita followed with an 8, leaving Kumkum with the decisive final arrow.

Kumkum delivered.

Her 10 took India to 53, giving the Indian team a 53-51 victory in the opening set and a 2-0 lead in the semifinal.

The turnaround was significant: China had led 26-25 after the first rotation, but India produced the stronger finish when the set was on the line.

The second set saw India establish control much earlier. China opened with 8, 9 and 8 to reach 25 after the first rotation.

India responded with a 10 from Kirti, an 8 from Ankita and a 9 from Kumkum, moving to 27 and establishing a two-point advantage.

The pressure was now on China to close the gap. But China could not produce the consistency required. Huang shot 8, Qi Yu 8 and Zhu 9 in the second rotation, taking China to 52.

India needed 25 to tie the set and 26 to win it. Kirti began the final sequence with an 8. Ankita then produced a 9, taking India to 44 and leaving Kumkum with a straightforward but important final assignment.

She again found the 10-ring. India finished the set on 54, two points ahead of China's 52, and moved into a commanding 4-0 lead.

One more set point would be enough to take India into the final.

China Saves Its Best Chance But India Holds Firm

The third set became a must-win situation for China. Huang opened with a 7 before following it with a 9 and an 8. Qi Yu then added a 10 and 9, while Zhu contributed 8 and 8.

China eventually finished the set on 51. India needed only 25 to tie the set, and a tied set would itself be enough to secure the match because India already held four set points.

That altered the pressure dynamics. Kirti began India's response with a 9. Ankita followed with an 8, while Kumkum added a 9. India reached 26 after the first rotation, one point ahead of China.

China's second rotation brought an 8, a 10 and a 9, taking its final score to 51. India therefore needed only 25 from its final three arrows to tie the set.

Kirti shot a 9.

Ankita added an 8. Kumkum's final 8 brought India to 51.

The third set was tied 51-51, giving both teams one set point.

That was enough. India's final tally reached 5 set points, compared with China's 1, and the semifinal was over.

South Korea Awaits in the Final

India's victory sets up a gold-medal clash against South Korea. The Koreans had earlier produced a 6-0 victory over Indonesia in the first semifinal. They took the opening two sets 53-49 and 54-52 before closing the match with a 57-55 third-set win.

That means India will face a South Korean team that has already demonstrated its ability to produce high scores when the pressure rises. For India, the semifinal victory was built less on one spectacular scoring sequence than on the ability to recover from an early deficit, maintain composure and finish sets efficiently.

Kirti's 10 in the opening set and Kumkum's decisive 10s in both the first and second sets were particularly important moments. Ankita had a comparatively difficult outing by her standards in the early stages, but the team absorbed those lower scores without allowing them to derail the contest.

The final will present a different challenge. Against South Korea, India will need greater consistency across all three archers because the margin for recovery could be considerably smaller.

For now, however, the equation is simple: India have beaten China 5-1 and are one match away from Asian Games gold in women's team recurve.