Okazaki, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s mixed compound archery team of Sahil Rajesh Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi entered the final at the Asian Games after edging past Thailand 156-155 in a closely contested semifinal at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square on Wednesday.
The Indian duo will face the winner of the second semifinal between South Korea and China in the gold medal match.
The final will be Chikitha’s second gold medal opportunity at the ongoing Games, having already won gold in the women’s team event.
India started strongly, with Chikitha and Sahil opening with three 10s and a nine. Thailand’s Peerawat Rattanapongkiat and Kanoknapus Kaewchomphu began with a nine and an eight before recovering with two 10s. India took an early 39-37 lead after the first end.
Both Indian archers continued to score consistently in the second end, extending their advantage. Despite Thailand’s efforts to stay in contention, India maintained a two-point lead, with the score at 77-75 at the end of the second end.
Thailand produced a strong start in the third end with perfect 10s, but the Indian pair held their nerve to retain a 117-115 advantage heading into the final end.
The Thai archers opened the last end with two 10s, while Chikitha scored a nine, narrowing India’s lead. Sahil responded with a 10 to keep India ahead at 136-135.
With the match on the line, Peerawat and Kanoknapus both scored 10s, putting pressure on the Indian pair. Chikitha then hit a 10, before Sahil delivered another perfect shot to seal a narrow 156-155 victory and secure India’s place in the final.
Chikitha is now targeting her second gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. She had earlier joined Prithika Pradeep and Jyothi Surekha Vennam to win the women’s team compound gold, as India defeated China 238-234.
India had won silver in the compound mixed team event in 2018 and bronze in 2014. The latest result adds to the country’s medal tally at the ongoing Games, taking its gold medal count to seven and overall tally to 53, comprising 21 silver and 25 bronze medals.
India’s men’s compound team will also be in action on Wednesday, taking on South Korea in the semifinal.
India recorded its most successful Asian Games archery campaign at Hangzhou in 2023, winning a record nine medals, including five gold, two silver and two bronze. The compound archers claimed all five gold medals on offer, while the recurve teams contributed a silver and a bronze.
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