Indian archer Ankita Bhakat has set her sights on a podium finish at the Asian Games next year, building on a pivotal 2025 where she reworked her technique in the harsh Korean winter and scored significant wins over Olympic champions.
From Paris Heartbreak to Korean Discipline
The year 2025 began for Ankita Bhakat in the freezing cold of Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. At the Kim Hyung Tak Archery Training Centre, with temperatures plunging to -5 degrees Celsius, the 27-year-old from Kolkata practiced relentlessly. This intense training camp came just five months after she experienced the gut-wrenching disappointment of finishing fourth in the mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics alongside Dhiraj Bommadevara.
"The day me and Dhiraj finished fourth at Paris, I could not sleep the whole night," Bhakat recalled. "I told myself I have reached so far and have to go further. When fetching arrows from the snow in Korea, I would reinforce my goal to one day win Olympic gold."
Technical Overhaul and Mental Resilience
Bhakat's primary mission in 2025 was to correct a technical flaw. Her arrows were consistently hitting the 3 o'clock position on the target, drifting to the right. Under the watchful eye of coach Kim Hyung Tak, she worked on making her bow draw slightly smaller, a change that required immense patience to master.
"It took time to adjust," Bhakat admitted. The mental challenge was as significant as the physical one. She faced online criticism for two crucial shots—a four and a seven—that impacted her Olympic results. Addressing this, she stated philosophically, "Like a ten is hit, 7-8s also happen. Nobody hits such shots off their own will. I think about how to get better after mistakes." To maintain her composure, she relied on listening to Hindi devotional songs during this transitional phase.
Breakthrough Wins and the Road to 2026
The technical adjustments bore fruit spectacularly later in the year. At the Archery Asian Championships in Bangladesh, Bhakat announced her resurgence with a series of stunning victories. She staged a remarkable comeback from 0-4 down to defeat Tokyo Olympics team gold medalist Jang Min Hee 6-4 in the quarter-finals. She then overcame compatriot Deepika Kumari and capped it off with a 7-3 win over Paris Olympics silver medallist Su-hyeon, also adding a win over Tokyo medallist Kang Chaeyoung to her 2025 tally.
Her coach, Purnima Mahato, explained the significance of the transformation. "For an archer like Ankita, who shoots with a poundage of 44, it takes time to change technique and find control. The focus next year is to master it perfectly, as she sometimes slips into the old technique in one out of 7-8 shots. This perfection will be key for the Asian Games trials."
Bhakat's goal for 2026 is clear: surpass her best-ever shooting average of 9.11 (achieved in 2021) and clinch an individual medal at the Asian Games. "To win an individual Asian Games medal will be the target next year," she declared, confident that her refined technique and the experience of beating the world's best have set the stage for a landmark year.
