Aichi-Nagoya, Japan: Indian archers Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Rajesh Jadhav won the gold medal in the compound mixed team event at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, September 30, defeating South Korea in a shoot-off. The win also earned India a quota place for the compound mixed team event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
A Shoot-Off Thriller
The final against South Korea's Park and Choi finished level at 157-157, sending the contest to a shoot-off. Chikitha and Park both hit 10s, with Park's arrow closer to the centre. Sahil then also found a 10, leaving Choi needing at least a 9 to keep Korea alive. Choi scored a 9, and India took the shoot-off 20-19 to retain the title.
The Indian pair had entered as top seeds after a combined qualification score of 1,414, and beat Thailand 156-155 in the semi-final.
Double Gold for Chikitha
It was a memorable day for Chikitha, who earlier helped India's women's compound team of Prithika Pradeep, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and herself retain their Asian Games title with a 238-234 win over China. For Sahil, 25, it was a first Asian Games gold. He earned his place in the squad by topping the men's compound selection trials and had previously won individual and mixed team gold at the 2025 World University Games.
Road to LA 2028
Compound archery will feature at the Olympics for the first time at Los Angeles 2028, through the mixed team event. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the pair and noted that the gold had secured India a qualification quota for the event. Olympic quotas are awarded to countries, and India's final team for LA 2028 will be selected closer to the Games.
Sources
ANI, Business Standard, Olympics.com, The Tribune, Sunday Guardian, myKhel.