The year 2025 proved to be a landmark season for Indian archery across domestic and international competition, highlighted by commanding performances at the Asian Archery Championships 2025 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, strong showings in World Cup events and breakthrough achievements at national championships and para archery trials. Indian archers demonstrated depth, balance and historic breakthroughs across both recurve and compound disciplines, underscoring India’s emergence as a serious contender on the continental and global stage.

Asian Archery Championships 2025: Historic Record Performance

The 24th Asian Archery Championships 2025, held from 8 to 14 November in Dhaka, was one of the most successful outings for India in the history of the sport. India topped the medal table with 10 medals — 6 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze — surpassing perennial powerhouse South Korea, and announcing a new era of competitive strength.

Indian success at the championships was spread across both recurve and compound categories, reflecting strong team depth and international competitiveness:

• Gold Medals (6): Included individual and team triumphs across recurve and compound events.
  
  

• Silver Medals (3): Strong performances in closely contested finals.
  
  

• Bronze Medal (1): Notable podium finishes amid tough competition.
  
  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly congratulated the Indian archery contingent for this historic performance, highlighting the individual and team achievements that contributed to India’s best ever result at the tournament.

Recurve Highlights: Historic Individual and Team Golds

One of the standout narratives from Dhaka was India’s recurve double gold, a feat never before achieved at the Asian Championships.

On a memorable final day:

• Ankita Bhakat clinched the Women’s Recurve Individual Gold, stunning Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Nam Suhyeon of South Korea with a 7-3 victory in the final. Her composed performance included precise shooting under pressure, delivering key arrows at crucial moments.
  
  

• Dhiraj Bommadevara captured the Men’s Recurve Individual Gold, defeating compatriot Rahul 6-2 in an all-Indian final — marking the first time an Indian man has won this title.
  
  

India’s recurve team also delivered a historic Men’s Team Gold, defeating a Korean side in a dramatic shoot-off to secure the title — the first Indian men’s team gold at the Asian Championships in nearly two decades.

In the Women’s Recurve category, Sangeeta added to the tally by edging out veteran and former world number one Deepika Kumari 6-5 in a shoot-off to claim the bronze medal.

These victories underscored the growing strength and competitive parity of Indian archers against traditional Asian powerhouses.

Compound Success: Multiple Golds and Mixed Team Triumphs

Indian compound archers were equally impressive:

• Jyothi Surekha Vennam continued her dominance in the women’s compound events, winning Gold in the Compound Women’s Individual final in an all-Indian contest against Prithika Pradeep, securing the podium sweep for India.
  
  

• The Compound Women’s Team — comprising Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Deepshikha — captured Gold, defeating Korea 236-234 in a closely contested final.
  
  

• The Compound Mixed Team of Abhishek Verma and Deepshikha added another Gold medal, beating Bangladesh 153-151 in the final.
  
  

These results highlighted India’s commanding performance across compound categories, with the mixed team victory showcasing strong team chemistry and precision under pressure.

National Championships and Domestic Standouts

At the National Archery Championships 2025 held in Hyderabad, Indian archers delivered exceptional performances that further illuminated the strength of the domestic circuit. Among the most prominent was Ojas Pravin Deotale, India’s first compound world champion and Asian Games triple gold medallist, who matched a world record with a perfect score of 150 and 13 inner-ring X’s in a 15-arrow compound match, demonstrating world-class precision on home soil.

Domestic results also saw strong showings from:

• Deepika Kumari, one of India’s most decorated archers and a multiple Olympian, who continued to remain a key figure in recurve competitions.
  
  

• Emerging talents who performed consistently in national circuit events, bolstering the pipeline of competitive archery talent across age groups and formats.
  
  

These national championships play a crucial role in selection for international assignments and provide a competitive foundation for athletes advancing to continental and world stages.

Para Archery Milestones

India also made strides in para archery in 2025. Sheetal Devi, a star in the para circuit born with phocomelia, achieved a historic milestone as the first Indian para archer selected for the able-bodied national compound team following trials in Sonipat. Her selection for the able-bodied squad for the Asian Cup underscored not just her extraordinary talent but also the growing opportunities and inclusivity within Indian archery.

Youth and World Cup Competitions

Indian archery’s momentum extended beyond Asia. At the World Archery Youth Championships, young archers continued to shine, contributing medals and valuable experience to their competitive resumes. Meanwhile, in World Cup circuits, archers such as Deepika Kumari and Parth Salunkhe continued to represent India with podium finishes, including bronze medals, reflecting sustained international competitiveness.

Structural Growth: Archery Premier League and Recognition

In 2025, the Archery Premier League (APL) — India’s first franchise-based archery competition — was recognised as the Emerging Professional Sports Event of the Year at the India Sports Awards. The tournament, featuring six franchise teams and both compound and recurve formats, was lauded for enhancing competition exposure and advancing performance standards among Indian archers.

Why 2025 Was a Breakthrough Year

Collectively, India’s performances in 2025 — from national championships to continental dominance — marked a watershed moment in the country’s archery narrative. India’s 10-medal haul at the Asian Archery Championships, including historic recurve gold medals and strong compound victories, reflected the depth, balance and maturity of the national archery setup.

With world-class performers, emerging talents and strong team cohesion, India’s archery ecosystem is now well positioned for major international events in 2026, including World Cup stages, Asia Cup competitions and multi-sport games where archers will seek to build on this year’s achievements.