Five nations secure Rio 2016 quota places at Asian Archery Championships

Khairul Anuar Mohamad claimed a Rio 2016 quota spot for Malaysia ©World Archery

Five countries have secured quota places in the archery competition at Rio 2016 following the conclusion of the Asian Championships in Thai capital Bangkok.

Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia and North Korea all managed to seal berths at next year’s Olympics at the competition, the first of five Continental Qualification tournaments.

Khairul Anuar Mohamad claimed a Rio spot for Malaysia after he reigned supreme in the men’s quota tournament, with Kazakhstan’s Sultan Duzelbayev and Mongolian Gantugs Jantsan clinching the other two available places by finishing second and third respectively.

Despite suffering defeat in the final of the women’s competition, Paralympic Champion Zahra Nemati was still able to bag a Rio 2016 quota for Iran, with victorious North Korean Kang Un Ju also booking a ticket to the Brazilian city for her nation.

Kang struggled early on during her clash with Nemati, the London 2012 gold medallist, before she found her form and recorded a comfortable 6-2 success.

The other women’s place went to Luiza Saidiyeva of Kazakhstan thanks to a 7-1 thrashing of Vietnam’s Thi Dao Loc.

Only teams who hadn’t qualified through the 2015 Archery World Championships in Denmark’s capital city Copenhagen, held from July 26 to August 2 were allowed to participate in the Asian Continental Qualifier, staged alongside the Asian Archery Championships.

Iranian Paralympic champion Zahra Nemati secured a quota spot for her nation despite suffering defeat in the final to Kang Un Ju of North Korea ©Getty Images

The Championships themselves were largely dominated by the South Korean archers as they swept the men’s and women’s podiums.

Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games winner Lee Woo Seok sealed the men’s individual recurve title by ousting 2013 world champion and compatriot Lee Seung-yun in the final.

Three-times Olympic team champion Im Dong Hyun clinched third place.

In the women’s event, Asian Games team champion Chang Hye-jin took gold as she hammered teammate Hong Sunam 7-1 in the final.

Bronze went to Lee Tuk-young, who proved too strong for China’s Cao Hui.

India were the dominant nation in the compound discipline, which isn’t part of the Olympic Programme, as Rajat Chauhan won the men’s competition and Jyothi Vennam claimed the women’s honours.

The next Rio 2016 Continental Qualifying event, the 2016 African Championships, takes places in Windhoek, Namibia from January 28 to 31.