Asian Games 2026: Double Archery glory for India; two more gold medals secured

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India’s compound archery team enjoyed a successful Wednesday at the Asian Games, winning dual gold medals and securing a 2028 Olympic quota place. The mixed pair of Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav delivered a win under pressure, edging out Korea’s Jungyoon Park and Choi Eun Gyu 158-157 in a dramatic shoot-off.

Earlier, the women’s compound trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha, and Prithika Pradeep put on a clinical display to outplay China 238-234, successfully defending the crown India won in Hangzhou. Both squads safely retained their titles from the previous edition. Reflecting on the high-pressure environment, Prithika said:

“I pushed each other and kept telling each other that we have to give our best. Even if we had one bad shot, a nine score, we kept bucking each other up and saying, ‘Get back to what you know best and keep focusing on that’,” Prithika said after the final.

“I know it’s a big tournament, but at the end of the day it’s the same people, it’s the same archery that I have to shoot. So I was just focusing on that, to be honest. But it feels really good to win gold with my teammates,” she added.

Indian women’s compound archery team wins gold too

In the mixed team final, after establishing an early advantage, a couple of late nines from Chikitha allowed Korea to pull level at 117-all before the final arrows. Needing clutch perfection, Sahil held his nerve to nail a crucial bull’s-eye and force a shoot-off. In the tie-breaker, both Chikitha and Sahil fired flawless 10s, while Choi managed only a nine to seal the championship.

Earlier, the Indian women’s compound archery trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi, and Prithika Pradeep clinched a historic gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan on Wednesday, defeating China 238-234 in a thrilling final.

With superb precision, the Indian archers maintained their lead from the opening round and famously equalled South Korea’s world record score of 238 set back in 2014.

The victory brought India its seventh gold of the Games, pushing the overall medal tally to 53. While the triumph added Jyothi’s fourth Asian Games gold to her illustrious career, it marked a dream debut Asian Games gold for both Chikitha and Prithika.

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