In the recurve women’s event, 16-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod emerged as the standout performer, topping qualification. She was joined by Ankita Bhakat, who continued her strong form following her gold medal performance at the 2025 Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka last November.
Ranked world number 15, Bhakat stunned Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Nam Suhyeon in a gripping five-set final to secure continental gold.
“The competition was tight as scores went high,” said Bhakat, who later won recurve women’s gold at the National Ranking Archery Tournament. “It’s good to see young players shooting amazing scores. I struggled in the ranking round but bridged the gap in the round-robin matches and the Indian round.”
The 27-year-old will be joined by former world number one Kumari and Simranjeet Kaur, with whom she claimed women’s team bronze at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
The recurve men’s team will see the return of experienced trio Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Das, who combined to win men’s team silver at the Central Florida 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup.
The team will be strengthened by debutant Yashdeep Bhoge, a team gold medallist at the last continental championships, who finished third in the national trials. Das and Bhoge teamed with Rahul Rahul to clinch team gold in Dhaka.
“The selection trials went really well, and I’m pleased with my performance,” said 24th-ranked Das. “The team is largely unchanged, which gives us strong continuity and helps us move forward together. There were many new faces at the trials, but the positive team atmosphere remains.
“I’m looking forward to winning as many tournaments as possible in 2026.”
