“It Was All About Execution”: Indian Archers Return With Historic Asian Games Haul, Olympic Quotas

New Delhi, Oct 5: India's archery contingent returned home to a heroes' welcome after a landmark Asian Games campaign that yielded five gold, two silver and two bronze medals, along with two Olympic quota places and historic victories over powerhouse South Korea.

The compound team contributed four medals, while the recurve squad accounted for five as India produced one of its strongest-ever performances at the continental showpiece.
Compound archery coach Dave Cousins said the results were a vindication of the team's preparation after its young squad had faced questions ahead of the Games.

"When the training is right, the preparation is right, and the ecosystem is right, these are the results you get."

Cousins was particularly pleased that India secured its first-ever compound archery Olympic quota, calling it a major achievement for the programme.

The breakthrough came through Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthu, who won the compound mixed team gold and secured the Olympic quota. Jadhav later added another gold as part of the men's compound team, while Taniparthu joined veteran Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep in the women's compound team that defeated China 238-234, matching the world record score.

Jadhav said the pressure of the final was manageable because the team had repeatedly trained for such situations. "It was all about execution, and we delivered."

Taniparthu said the success had given the young group greater confidence and motivation to work harder, while Kushal Dalal also credited the team's preparation for helping the archers deal with high-pressure moments.

Kumkum Leads Historic Recurve Charge

The recurve squad produced an equally memorable campaign, with Kumkum Mohod emerging as one of India's standout performers. She won individual gold, helped India to women's team gold and also claimed mixed team silver. Her individual triumph against Korea's Oh-Yejin secured another Olympic quota for India.

Kumkum said she deliberately avoided focusing on her opponent during the final and instead concentrated on executing her own shots.

"I completely enjoyed my shooting. I held on to my feeling, just shot my arrows and didn't look at who was ahead."

India also created history in the women's recurve team event by defeating 10-time Olympic champions South Korea 5-3 in the final. Kirti Sharma, who was part of the gold-medal-winning team, described the victory as a landmark moment for Indian archery.

"India's first gold in this event. We beat Korea to win gold, so this created history for us."
The men's recurve team also made a significant contribution, with Dhiraj Bommadevara winning silver in the mixed and men's team events, while Neeraj Chauhan claimed individual bronze and men's team silver. Yashdeep Bhoge was also part of the silver-winning men's team.

Bommadevara credited the growing support system around Indian archery for helping athletes reach this level, while also looking ahead to the next major targets - the World Championships and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

For the young contingent, the Asian Games success represents more than a medal haul. It is a statement that India's next generation of archers can compete with - and defeat - the world's established powers, while simultaneously strengthening the country's pathway towards LA 2028.