India enjoyed a golden day in compound archery at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Wednesday, with the mixed team of Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav clinching gold in a nerve-shredding shoot-off and securing a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
A tense final against Korea
Chikitha and Sahil showed nerves of steel to prevail over Korea's Jungyoon Park and Choi Eun Gyu in a thrilling mixed team final, winning 158-157 after a shoot-off. The victory also earned India a quota spot for the compound mixed team event at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, where compound archery is set to make its Olympic debut.
The Indian duo had reached the gold-medal match after beating Thailand 156-155 in the semifinals. China's Fangyao F Wei and Jinyi Liu took the bronze.
A double-gold day
Earlier, the Indian women's compound team produced a sensational performance to outclass the Chinese trio of Wunier, Yue Wang and Fangyao Wei 238-234 and retain its gold with a world-record-equalling score — matching the mark set by South Korea at the Incheon Asian Games in 2014.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep dominated the summit clash. Jyothi was also part of the gold-winning women's team at the previous edition in Hangzhou, and both Indian squads successfully retained the crowns India had won in 2023.
For 21-year-old Chikitha, the mixed team gold was her second title of the day. "It is very special for me because this is my first Asian Games and getting two medals is a very big thing, and we got Olympic quota as well," she said in an interview with Times Now.
Olympic milestone
The quota is a significant turning point for Indian archery, guaranteeing the country representation in compound archery's historic Olympic debut at LA28. India's compound archers had swept all five gold medals at Hangzhou 2023, and the Aichi-Nagoya campaign has kept that dominance alive.
Sources: Asian Games 2026: Indian compound archery pairs clinch gold and Olympic quota — Deccan Herald (PTI), Chikitha Taniparthi On Asian Games Double Gold And India's Olympic Qualification — Times Now
A tense final against Korea
Chikitha and Sahil showed nerves of steel to prevail over Korea's Jungyoon Park and Choi Eun Gyu in a thrilling mixed team final, winning 158-157 after a shoot-off. The victory also earned India a quota spot for the compound mixed team event at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, where compound archery is set to make its Olympic debut.
The Indian duo had reached the gold-medal match after beating Thailand 156-155 in the semifinals. China's Fangyao F Wei and Jinyi Liu took the bronze.
A double-gold day
Earlier, the Indian women's compound team produced a sensational performance to outclass the Chinese trio of Wunier, Yue Wang and Fangyao Wei 238-234 and retain its gold with a world-record-equalling score — matching the mark set by South Korea at the Incheon Asian Games in 2014.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep dominated the summit clash. Jyothi was also part of the gold-winning women's team at the previous edition in Hangzhou, and both Indian squads successfully retained the crowns India had won in 2023.
For 21-year-old Chikitha, the mixed team gold was her second title of the day. "It is very special for me because this is my first Asian Games and getting two medals is a very big thing, and we got Olympic quota as well," she said in an interview with Times Now.
Olympic milestone
The quota is a significant turning point for Indian archery, guaranteeing the country representation in compound archery's historic Olympic debut at LA28. India's compound archers had swept all five gold medals at Hangzhou 2023, and the Aichi-Nagoya campaign has kept that dominance alive.
Sources: Asian Games 2026: Indian compound archery pairs clinch gold and Olympic quota — Deccan Herald (PTI), Chikitha Taniparthi On Asian Games Double Gold And India's Olympic Qualification — Times Now
