Bangladesh’s archer Abdur Rahman Alif has emerged as the champion in the recurve men’s singles event after defeating Japan’s Miyata Gakuto in the Asia Cup Archery (Leg 2).
Alif had already secured a medal by reaching the final, but he was determined to end on a high with a gold. On Friday in Singapore, he clinched the top spot by beating Miyata 6-4 in set points.
Alif got off to a strong start in the gold medal match, winning the first two sets narrowly by scores of 28-27 and 29-28. Miyata fought back fiercely, leveling the match by winning the next two sets 28-27 and 27-26.
However, the 19-year-old Alif dominated the fifth and final set, winning 29-26 to seal the victory.
Starting the elimination round with a bye, Alif beat China’s Alin 6-2 in the round of 32. He then defeated Malaysia’s Muhammad Shafiq 6-4 and claimed a thrilling 7-3 win over Chinese Taipei’s Lee Kai-Yen to reach the semifinals. In the semifinal, Alif lost 6-2 to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Pin-An.
In the recurve men’s team event, Bangladesh narrowly missed out on bronze after losing 5-3 in set points to Chinese Taipei. After dropping the first set 56-53, Bangladesh drew the second 53-53, leveled the match by winning the third 56-55, but fell 56-52 in the fourth set. The team comprised Abdur Rahman Alif, Ram Krishna Saha, and Rakib Mia.
Japan went on to win gold in this event by defeating India 6-0 in the final.
Bangladesh also had a chance for bronze in the compound men’s singles, but Himu Bachhar lost a close contest 148-146 against India’s Sachin Chechi.
