The qualification round at the Sulaymaniyah 2026 Asia Cup got underway on Sunday, with Bangladesh topping both compound individual events while Iran and Kazakhstan led the recurve fields.
The compound men’s event produced a close contest for the top seed.
Bangladesh’s Nawaz Ahmed Rakib and Kazakhstan’s Pavel Kuznetsov both scored 693, but Rakib secured first place with 18 Xs to Kuznetsov’s 17.
Rakib and compatriot Himu Bachhar, who qualified fourth, were part of the Bangladesh team that made history by winning the country’s first-ever Asia Cup gold in the compound men’s team event at Stage I in Bangkok.
With Bangladesh again securing the top seed in the team event, the pair will be aiming to help their country defend its title in Sulaymaniyah.
Bangladesh also led the compound women’s field, with Bonna Akter scoring 696. Iraq’s Fatimah Saad AlMashhadani finished second with 693, putting a home archer among the leading qualifiers, while Kazakhstan’s Elmira Raissova took third with 685.
In recurve men, Iran’s Mohammadhossein Golshani Asl topped the standings with 670 points. USA’s Nicholas D’Amour placed second with 661, while Bangladesh’s Abdur Rahman Alif was third with 657.
Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Zemlyanova led recurve women’s qualification with 658, improving her score from 326 in the first half to 332 in the second.
Zemlyanova was also part of Kazakhstan’s recurve women’s team that won gold at Stage I in Bangkok. With Kazakhstan once again taking the top seed in the team event, the team will look to carry that form into Sulaymaniyah and defend its title.
Attention now turns to Monday’s team and mixed team eliminations at Sulaymaniyah Sport Club.
Top seeds: Sulaymaniyah 2026 Asia Cup
Full results are available on the event page.
- Recurve men: Mohammadhossein Golshani Asl, Iran – 670
- Recurve women: Alexandra Zemlyanova, Kazakhstan – 658
- Compound men: Nawaz Ahmed Rakib, Bangladesh – 693
- Compound women: Bonna Akter, Bangladesh – 696
