Nagoya, September 30 — The race for Los Angeles 2028 Olympic quotas intensified at the 20th Asian Games as archery competition narrowed to the final eight athletes in each category. Officials said the quarterfinals were set after early elimination rounds produced both expected advances and notable upsets. According to state and international reports, four top seeds advanced to the quarterfinals: Kang Chaeyoung, Liao Jiahao, and the Indian duo Dhiraj Bommadevara and Chikitha Taniparthi.
However, the account indicates that Korea’s second seed Kim Je Deok, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, was stunned 6-2 by Indian debutant Neeraj Chauhan in the recurve men’s individual event. In compound women, Hangzhou 2022 triple gold medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam was knocked out 150-146 by 14-year-old Korean Kang Yeonseo.
The account indicates Yeonseo sits 72 places below the world number four Indian in world rankings. She made history by becoming the first under-18 women’s archer to shoot a perfect score in a 15-arrow match, hitting six Xs in her 150. Remarkably, she achieved this perfect score twice during the competition.
Her round of 16 victory over Mongolia’s Otgonbayar Dagdanjav was also perfect (150-133), setting a new under-18 world record for compound women’s match. The record improves the previous mark set by USA’s Zoie Thompson in 2021 and is pending ratification by World Archery.
Chauhan will join Bommadevara among the eight recurve men still in contention for Saturday’s individual final and the two quota places available for the LA28 Olympic Games. The Indian pair, alongside Yashdeep Bhoge, have also advanced to the recurve men’s team semifinal where they will face Iran for a place in the final and a chance to secure the lone team quota place available.
Six countries remain in contention for the two individual recurve men’s quota spots: India and Bhutan with two athletes each, alongside Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Korea and Japan. Five nations also remain in the hunt for Olympic spots in recurve women: Korea, Chinese Taipei and China with two athletes each, alongside India and Japan. India’s 17-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod impressed on her Asian Games debut, advancing to the recurve women’s quarterfinals after defeating Bangladesh’s Saima Salah Suddin 6-0.
Home hopes rest on world number 16 Junya Nakanishi and 72nd ranked Nanami Asakuno for places in the recurve men’s and women’s individual finals, respectively. Nakanishi, who finished runner-up to Bommadevara at the World Cup Final in Saltillo, Mexico two weeks ago, will be looking to carry home expectations of a podium finish and an LA28 quota place.
Looking ahead, the semifinals and finals will determine which athletes secure the limited Olympic berths on offer, with team and individual events still to be decided in the coming days.
