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Chikitha And Sahil Edge South Korea In Shoot-Off Thriller To Capture Compound Mixed Team Gold At Asian Games 2026

Top seeds Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav clinched India's second archery gold of the day by edging South Korea 158-157 in a dramatic shoot-off final

Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav secured India's second archery gold of the day, defeating South Korea 158-157 in a thrilling shoot-off. PTI
Summary
  • Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav secured India's second archery gold of the day, defeating South Korea 158-157 in a thrilling shoot-off

  • The victory earns India a crucial quota place for the compound mixed team event's debut at the LA 2028 Olympics

  • The triumph caps a stellar double-gold day for 21-year-old Chikitha and marks Sahil Jadhav's first-ever Asian Games gold

India's compound archers have struck gold again. Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav beat South Korea 158-157 in the compound mixed team final at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, and the result was settled by a shoot-off. It is India's second archery gold of the day, and Chikitha's second in a few hours after the women's team title.

The pair were the top seeds. Chikitha's 705 and Sahil's 709 in qualification gave India first place in the mixed team ranking with 1,414. In the semifinal they edged Thailand 156-155, leading 77-75 after two ends and 136-135 after three. Chikitha and Sahil each shot a 10 in the last end to book their place in the final.

The gold also carries an Olympic bonus. Compound mixed team makes its debut at LA 2028, and the Asian Games champions earn a quota place for their country.

For Chikitha, 21, the gold caps a breakthrough year. The Telangana archer won the U-21 individual title at the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg, the first Indian woman to do so. She now has two Asian Games golds in one day.

Sahil, 25, won the men's compound individual selection trials to make the squad. He has also won the individual gold and a mixed team title at the 2025 World University Games. He shot a 10 to seal the semifinal, and this gold is his first at the Asian Games.

The mixed team title is the latest for Indian compound archery. India also won this event at Hangzhou 2023, when Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Deotale beat Korea 159-158.

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