Asian Games: Neeraj Chauhan beats Kim Je Deok to reach men's recurve quarter-finals

Neeraj Chauhan beat South Korea’s three-time Olympic medallist Kim Je Deok to reach the quarter-finals of the men’s recurve individual event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on Tuesday, September 29. India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara also advanced to the quarter-finals.

Both Indian archers progressed into the last eight of the men’s recurve draw after wins in the elimination rounds. Dhiraj began with a 6-0 victory over the Philippines’ Girvin Garcia in the Round of 32, needing just nine arrows with six landing in the 10-ring, then defeated Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Hsiang-Hui 6-2 to move through. The coverage notes Dhiraj is scheduled to meet Uzbekistan’s Amirkon Sadikov on October 3.

Chauhan’s match against Kim was decided after a late turnaround: reports describe him leading 3-1, being pegged back to 3-3, a tied set making it 4-4, and Chauhan taking the deciding set to advance. The same round of coverage also included an account stating he recovered from a 0-4 deficit to win the final three sets and suggested he would next face Kim Je Deok.

Bhutan’s Dorji Lam is listed as Chauhan’s quarter-final opponent in the event. The reporting places both Chauhan and Dhiraj into the quarter-finals of the men’s recurve individual competition.

India’s surfing campaign ended when Kishore Kumar Anbarasu lost to the Philippines’ Toby Espejon in the men’s shortboard quarter-final; Kishore’s two best waves scored 3.00 and 2.37 for a 5.37 total while Espejon finished with 8.53. Kishore’s appearance in the quarter-finals was noted as a notable result for India in the surfing competition.

The Indian contingent faces a packed Day 10 schedule across multiple sports: Vipin Kumar begins his Kurash campaign in the men’s 66kg category; Indian track cyclists contest the women’s and men’s team sprint events with Celestina, Sarita Kumari, Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka and Triyasha Paul in the women’s squad and Rojit Singh, David Beckham, Ronaldo Singh and Jemsh Singh in the men’s. Shooting opens the men’s trap qualification and team final at 6:30 AM with Shapath Bharadwaj, Kynan Chenai and Ahvar Rizvi, while the women’s trap medal events feature Neeru, Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat.

Neeraj Chauhan will face Bhutan’s Dorji Lam in the men’s recurve quarter-final, and Dhiraj Bommadevara is scheduled to meet Uzbekistan’s Amirkon Sadikov on October 3.