A Qualification Score That Broke the Record Books
Before a single elimination match had been shot, India's Dhiraj Bommadevara had already made history at the Asian Games 2026 archery venue in Nagoya. Bommadevara smashed the Asian Games record to top the recurve individual archery qualification event with a score of 698 out of 720, breaking the previous record of 690 points held by Korea's Lee Woo Seok. Setting a Games record in qualification is unusual. Setting one by eight points is exceptional.
Quick Answer: What score did Dhiraj Bommadevara shoot at Asian Games 2026 archery? He scored 698 out of 720 in the recurve individual qualification on September 26, breaking the previous Asian Games record of 690 set by South Korea's Lee Woo Seok.
How He Shot 698
Bommadevara earned 348 out of 360 points in the first half, then improved in the second half with a score of 350 in the final 36 arrows, dropping only 10 points out of 360 possible. Recurve archery qualification at this level involves 72 arrows across two rounds of 36. The physical and mental consistency required to shoot near-perfect scores across 72 arrows, under competition conditions, in a Games environment, sets this performance apart from range practice or warm-up events.
India's Team Qualification Position
The team finished second in qualification with 2039 points, just behind South Korea's 2064. India's second seeding gave the men's team a bye into the pre-quarterfinals and gave Bommadevara a bye into the second round as the top individual seed.
Being seeded second as a team, behind Korea, is an honest reflection of where both programmes sit. Korea remains the most successful archery nation in Olympic history. India finishing second, with a world-record score in the men's individual qualification, suggests the gap between the two programmes has narrowed to a point where individual competition results can go either way.
The Women's Side: Chikitha Taniparthi's Near-Record
Chikitha Taniparthi topped the women's individual compound qualification with 705 out of 720, coming within one point of breaking the Asian Games record held by Chinese Taipei's Chen Yi-hsuan, who shot 706 in 2018. A compound bow qualification score of 705 is near-perfect shooting. Taniparthi leading the compound women's draw going into the knockouts gave India another realistic medal route in a discipline where India has been developing competitive depth.
Who Is Dhiraj Bommadevara?
Bommadevara represented India at the Paris Olympics 2024, where he competed in the recurve men's individual and the mixed team event alongside Ankita Bhakat, winning bronze in the mixed team. He was not yet 22 at the time of those Games, making the trajectory of his career one of the more encouraging stories in Indian archery. His Asian Games record in Nagoya is a direct extension of the form he showed in Paris and Shanghai.
Key Takeaways
- Dhiraj Bommadevara scored 698 out of 720 in the Asian Games 2026 recurve qualification, breaking the previous record of 690 by eight points.
- India men's recurve team finished second in team qualification with 2039 points, behind South Korea's 2064.
- Chikitha Taniparthi shot 705 in the women's compound qualification, one point below the Asian Games record.
- Bommadevara received a bye into the second round as the top individual seed; the team received a bye into the pre-quarterfinals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Asian Games archery qualification record?
For the men's recurve individual, the new record is 698, set by India's Dhiraj Bommadevara on September 26, 2026, at the Asian Games in Nagoya. It broke the previous record of 690 held by South Korea's Lee Woo Seok.
Did Bommadevara win gold at the Asian Games 2026?
His individual and mixed team results are in the knockout stages. India's mixed team did win gold in the final against China on September 30. His individual event result depends on his performance through the elimination rounds which were ongoing at the time of qualification coverage.
Conclusion
Qualification records are not the goal - medals are. But shooting 698 out of 720 at Asian Games qualification level, with the split between both halves showing improvement rather than fatigue, is a performance indicator that archers and coaches pay close attention to. It tells you that Bommadevara arrived at Nagoya in the best form of his career. What he did with that form in the knockout rounds followed from there.
