Asian Games: India win two archery golds, mixed team also secures 2028 Olympic quota
Chikita Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav beat South Korea in a shoot-off, and the women's compound team retained gold, equalling a world record.
India's archers delivered a stellar performance at the Asian Games on Wednesday. The compound mixed pair of Chikita Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav beat South Korea in a thrilling shoot-off to win gold. The win also secured India a quota place for the 2028 Olympics. India's medal tally now stands at 54, including eight golds.
In the mixed team final, Chikita and Sahil beat South Korea's Jungyun Park and Choi Yun Gyu 158-157. The contest was extremely close, and both Indian archers kept remarkable composure throughout. China's Fangyao F. Wei and Xinyi Liu won bronze. In the semifinal, the Indian pair had earlier beaten Thailand 156-155 to reach the gold medal match.
India's women's compound team also finished first in the event. The trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikita and Prithika Pradeep beat China 238-234 in the final, retaining their gold and equalling the world record. Jyothi was also part of the Indian team that won gold at the previous Asian Games. The Indian women's team equalled the world record set by South Korea at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. The Chinese team of Wunier, Yue Wang and Fangyao Wei won silver.
The women's team's route to the final was also impressive. In the semifinal at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park, India beat South Korea 234-233 to reach the final. The South Korean team of Park Jungyun, Park Yerin and Kang Yeonseo beat Chinese Taipei to win bronze.
In the final, the Indian trio made a strong start with consecutive perfect 10s and won the first leg 60-58. The defending champions won the second leg 60-58 as well, extending their lead. Going into the last round, India led 178-176 overall. Under pressure, the Chinese team shot two accurate nines, while India completed another effective round with six accurate tens. The Indian team not only retained its title but also equalled the world record.
Both Indian teams successfully defended the titles they won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The women's compound team had won gold in Hangzhou as well. India won five gold medals in archery last time.
After the final, Prithika said, "We were constantly encouraging each other and telling each other that we have to give our best. If any one of us missed a shot, say a nine, we still encouraged each other and told each other to focus again on what we do best."
Prithika added, "I know this is a big event, but in the end the same people are in front of us and I have to do the same archery. So, honestly, my focus was only on that. Still, I am very happy to have won gold with my teammates."
