Neeraj Chauhan faced Japan’s Junya Nakanishi in the semi-finals of the men’s recurve individual event at the Asian Games, where he suffered a 1-7 defeat. However, he rebounded by claiming the bronze medal against fellow Indian archer Dhiraj Bommadevara, the top seed, with a score of 6-4. At 24 years old, Chauhan has made history as the second Indian man to earn an individual recurve medal at the Games, following Tarundeep Rai’s silver medal win in 2010.
Reflecting on his performance, Chauhan recalled the challenges he faced during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. His father, Akshaylal Chauhan, lost his job as a cook at the Kailash Prakash stadium in Meerut, prompting Neeraj and his older brother Sunil to support the family by selling vegetables. “It was difficult to recover mentally after losing in the semi-finals, especially with the chance to secure an Olympic quota for India slipping away. But I remembered the tough times when my brother and I pushed our vegetable cart through the streets of Meerut to help our father. If I could overcome that phase, I could definitely win a medal here,” Chauhan shared. He dedicated his victory to his father, who has always been his greatest supporter.
Currently, Chauhan’s father is in their native village near Gorakhpur, while his mother, Paramshila Devi, reflected on their struggles during the lockdown. “My husband had been employed at the stadium since 1997, and when the pandemic hit, he lost his job. To support the family, he would run the vegetable cart in the mornings and drive an auto rickshaw during the day, while Neeraj and his brother managed the cart throughout the day,” she recounted.
Neeraj began his athletic journey at the stadium where his father worked, initially training in boxing before transitioning to archery. He achieved a silver medal in the individual category and a bronze in the mixed team event at the 2018 national championships. Shortly thereafter, a video of his performance gained traction on social media, leading to a scholarship of ₹5 lakh from the Union Sports Ministry. He was subsequently accepted into the SAI Centre in Sonepat, where he trained under coach Jitendra Chauhan.
In 2021, Chauhan secured a position with the ITBP on a sports quota. He earned a medal at the senior nationals in 2022 and was selected to compete at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Turkey that same year. Coach Jitendra Chauhan noted, “When Neeraj arrived at the SAI Centre, we had to focus on the fundamentals, including scapular alignment, bow release technique, and his follow-through.”
Chauhan mentioned, “Receiving the scholarship and joining ITBP allowed me to concentrate entirely on my training without the burden of financial concerns.” In the qualification round, he placed 20th. He notably defeated Kim Je-deok, a three-time Olympic champion, in the pre-quarter-finals, and contributed to the Indian men’s team winning a silver medal on Friday. On Saturday, he advanced to the quarter-finals with a 7-1 victory over Bhutan’s Dorji Lam, before facing Nakanishi in the semi-finals. Dhiraj Bommadevara, who also competed, lost his semi-final match against Lee Woo-seok, the gold medallist from the Paris Olympics, leading to a matchup between the two Indians for the bronze medal.
During the bronze medal match, Chauhan initially led 2-0 but fell behind 2-4. He then rallied, scoring 30 in the fourth set and 29 in the fifth, hitting five tens in his last six arrows. “I admire Dhiraj bhaiya and have long studied his shooting technique,” he stated. “Although my qualification round wasn’t ideal, defeating Kim Je-deok provided a significant boost to my confidence and made me believe I could compete with the best. I knew Saturday was my opportunity to secure a medal.”
Chauhan also had the honor of meeting Korean archery legend Kim Woo-jin, a five-time Olympic gold medallist and the reigning champion in Paris, who acknowledged his achievement in winning the bronze medal.
