Okazaki, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s dominance in compound archery continued at the Asian Games as Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav clinched the mixed team gold medal after defeating South Korea in a dramatic shoot-off, also securing India a quota place for the event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The Indian duo held their nerve to overcome South Korea’s Park Jungyoon and Choi Yonghee after the final ended in a 157-157 tie. With compound mixed team archery set to make its Olympic debut at LA28, the victory ensured India’s qualification for the event.
The triumph marked Chikitha’s second gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, following her contribution to India’s women’s team gold earlier in the day. Sahil, meanwhile, secured his first gold of the competition.
India’s victory also took its gold medal tally to eight at the ongoing continental showpiece. The country’s overall medal count stood at 54, comprising eight gold, 21 silver and 25 bronze medals.
The final witnessed a closely fought contest, with both teams displaying remarkable accuracy. Chikitha and Sahil opened strongly, hitting the 10-ring with their first arrows, as South Korea matched their performance to level the opening rotation at 20-20.
India gained an early advantage when Park scored a 9. The Indian archers capitalised with two consecutive 10s to establish a 40-39 lead at the end of the first end.
Maintaining their precision, the Indian pair extended the advantage to two points in the second end. Both archers continued to deliver consistent performances, taking India to an 80-78 lead at the halfway stage.
South Korea fought back in the third end, but Chikitha and Sahil responded with another pair of 10s to maintain a 100-98 advantage. However, missed 10s from both Indians towards the end of the phase allowed the Koreans to narrow the gap, leaving India with a slender 118-117 lead and four arrows remaining for each team.
The final end intensified the contest as Park and Choi struck 10s to put India under pressure. Chikitha and Sahil responded with equally precise shots, keeping India narrowly ahead.
South Korea finished with a perfect 20 from its final two arrows to reach 157, leaving India needing 20 points to avoid defeat. Chikitha scored a 9, but Sahil delivered a crucial 10 to level the scores at 157-157 and force a shoot-off.
In the decisive shoot-off, Chikitha struck a 10, which was matched by Park. Sahil then produced another 10, putting the responsibility on Choi to keep South Korea in contention. Choi managed only a 9, sealing the gold medal for India.
The victory further strengthened India’s record in compound archery at the Asian Games. At Hangzhou 2023, India had secured all four compound gold medals, including the mixed team title won by Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale.
Chikitha’s double-gold achievement and India’s qualification for the LA28 compound mixed team event added further significance to the triumph at Aichi-Nagoya.
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