Indian archer Neeraj Chauhan defeated compatriot Dhiraj Bommadevara 6-4 in an all-Indian bronze medal playoff to win the men’s individual recurve event at the Asian Games 2026 in Okazaki on Saturday.

Chauhan registered scores of 29-26, 27-28, 28-29, 30-28 and 29-28 to edge past his teammate. He is only the second Indian male after Tarundeep Rai, who won silver in 2010, to win an individual recurve medal at the Asian Games.

Earlier, Dhiraj lost his semifinal 3-7 to Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Woo Seok, while Neeraj went down 1-7 to Japan’s Junya Nakanishi in the last-four stage.

President Droupadi Murmu congratulated Chauhan, calling it a special moment for Indian recurve archery. The bronze took India’s archery campaign to nine medals: five gold, two silver and two bronze, finishing ahead of powerhouse South Korea for the second straight Asian Games. The addition of Neeraj’s bronze also pushed India’s overall medal tally to 80 at the time.