Indian archer Ankita Bhakat has scripted a stunning comeback story, striking gold in the individual recurve event at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka. This victory marks a powerful response to the heartbreak she endured just months earlier at the Paris Olympics, where she narrowly missed a medal.
From Olympic Agony to Asian Glory
Returning from the Paris Olympics with a fourth-place finish, Ankita faced significant criticism. A crucial misfire, including a devastating shot of 7 in the bronze medal match of the mixed team event with partner Dhiraj Bommadevara, had cost India a podium finish. Despite it being the country's best-ever Olympic archery performance, the lack of a medal was a bitter pill to swallow.
However, coaches at the national camp noted one defining trait in the 25-year-old from Kolkata: a complete absence of fear when facing the dominant South Korean archers. This mindset, which kept her alert but never paralyzed, would become her greatest weapon.
The Gold Medal Match: A Test of Nerves
In the Dhaka finals, Ankita found herself pitted against South Korea's Nam Suhyeon, the Olympic silver medallist from Paris. In a display of her focused approach, Ankita revealed she had forgotten her opponent's pedigree. "When the coach reminded me just before the finals, I thought, 'Oh, she's a silver medallist too. Okay, fine.' The thing is, all Koreans are equally dangerous, so I always go in expecting a tight match," she recalled.
The match was a tense five-set affair. Ankita seized the first and fourth sets with scores of 29-27 and 29-28 respectively, drew the second 27-27, and absorbed a strong challenge from the Korean in the third set, which she lost 26-28. It all came down to the deciding fifth set.
Conquering the Ghosts of Past 7s
With the gold medal on the line, Ankita needed a 9 on her final arrow. In that high-pressure moment, the memory of the Olympic 7s flashed before her eyes. "Of course I thought of the 7s that had cost us medals," she admitted. But instead of succumbing to pressure, she employed a simple mantra: 'no-more-7'. Trusting her process, she calmly released the arrow that sealed the victory with a perfect 9.
Her coach, Purnima Mahato, had given her a clear directive before the tournament: "Enough of team medals, now you need to win an individual gold." This came after a quiet year where Ankita had failed to secure a single World Cup medal. Technical tweaks from coaches Rahul Banerjee, Mahato, and Prasanna Kumar, combined with mental fortitude, paved the way for this breakthrough.
Ankita's path to the final included a nail-biting semi-final victory over seasoned archer Deepika Kumari, which was decided by a shoot-off where Ankita's 9 was millimeters closer to the center. The championships turned into a triumphant day for Indian archery, with Dhiraj Bommadevara also winning gold in the men's recurve event, silencing his own Olympic demons as India completed a sweep of the recurve finals.
For Ankita, this gold is more than just a medal; it's a testament to her resilience. "At some point you realise, revisiting the misses makes life worse. I was bored of being miserable. I decided to focus on my shooting... With Koreans, they never give you a chance. They are always good. So I decided I'll be better than their good," she stated, embodying the new, fearless spirit of Indian archery.
