India’s compound archery mixed team of Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi won gold on Wednesday at the Asian Games. They beat South Korea in a shootout to secure an Olympic spot. Meanwhile, the women’s team equalled a world record of 238 to defend their gold medal against China in Nagoya.
NAGOYA: On a clear Wednesday morning at the Okazaki Central park in the outskirts of the city, two gold medals were well within sight for India's compound archers. Nagoya witnessed continued rains in the past few days and as it started going away, India's gold medal count has slowly been increasing.
After two gold medals by Indian women on Tuesday (Trap in shooting and 4x400m relay in athletics), the mixed compound team of Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi etched history on Wednesday. After edging Thailand 156-155 in the semifinals, the duo – making their Asian Games debut – took the formidable South Korean duo of Park Junghyoon and veteran Choi Yonghee all the way to the shootout in the summit clash.
And in the shootout, everyone at the park was at the edge of the seats. With the winds clearing away, the atmosphere turned quiet as only the swoosh off the arrows launched from the bows and the thwack on the targets were the only sounds to be heard.
The Indian duo, displayed their marksmanship in probably their most high-pressure moment. In two attempts, they scored perfect attempts to record a perfect score of 20. South Korea, meanwhile, fell short by just one. (19).
That one point, was the difference between just a medal and a gold medal and a berth to the Olympics.
The compound archers spent the early part of the year without a coach. Additionally the selection trials also saw big names like Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale – both Asian Games champions in 2023 – miss out this edition.
Now, with former American World No 1 compound archer Dave Cousins at the helm, India have done what they wanted to. Defend gold and enter the Olympics in 2028.
Earlier, the team of compound archers Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep also did not disappoint.
Beginning their day with a semifinal win over favourites South Korea, they went a step further in the final against China. The trio equalled a world-record score of 238 to defend their gold medal from Hangzhou in 2023. The world record – which is also an Asian, as well as an Asian Games record was earlier written by South Korea in Incheon in 2014.
What makes this gold medal significant is the fact that two of the three compound archers are making their Asian Games debut. Led by their senior Surekha, Chikitha and Prithika have shown their potential.
With seniors failing to make the cut, there was going to be pressure on both the youngsters to match the high standards set by them. “I think we (women's team) have really worked hard during our camps, even for the past two World Cups, we were as a team working really hard, and we are getting used to each other. No matter what the situation is, we'll be there to support each other, till the very last minute,” Surekha told this daily before leaving for the Asian Games.