India’s archers have delivered a spectacular start to the morning of September 30 at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, winning two gold medals in compound archery.
The first golden moment came from the women’s compound team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep. The Indian trio defeated China 238-234 in the final to successfully defend the gold medal they won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
What made the victory even more remarkable was the score. India’s 238 points equalled the world record for the event. So, rather than merely claiming another Asian Games title, the Indian women produced a performance that matched the highest score in the world. Their accuracy was extraordinary, particularly in the closing stages, when the Indian trio produced a string of perfect 10s to keep China at bay.
For Jyothi Surekha Vennam, the victory adds another chapter to an extraordinary Asian Games career. The experienced archer has been a consistent presence in India’s compound archery success, while 21-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi and 18-year-old Prithika Pradeep represent the younger generation carrying that success forward.
The second gold came in the compound mixed team event, where Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav defeated South Korea in a tense final. The Indian pair held their nerve under pressure to secure another gold for the country.
The double triumph is significant because India had also dominated compound archery at the previous Asian Games, winning all five available compound gold medals in Hangzhou. The victories in Japan show that the country’s success in the discipline is not a one-off achievement but the result of sustained performances across generations.
South Korea has always been a formidable force in Archery, but the Indian archers got past them in both events, in semifinals and finals respectively to secure 2 more Golds for India.
India is now ranked 9th in the medal tally, and ranks 4th when it comes to total number of medals.
