November 14: India’s archers won nine medals at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, including five golds, equalling the five archery golds India won at Hangzhou 2022, according to World Archery and the official Games results. The standout was 17-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod, who won the women’s recurve individual and team golds on her Asian Games debut. India also swept all three compound team events and earned quota places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Key highlights
- Total: 9 medals, with 5 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.
- Compound: 3 golds (men’s team, women’s team and mixed team) and 1 bronze.
- Recurve: 2 golds (women’s individual and women’s team), 2 silvers and 1 bronze.
- Firsts: India’s first Asian Games golds in the women’s recurve team and women’s recurve individual events.
- World record: the women’s compound team’s winning score of 238 equalled the world record for a 24-arrow team match.
- LA28: India earned the two quota places in compound mixed team, an event that makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles.
All nine medals
| Event | Medal | Indian archers | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compound men’s team | Gold | Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru, Kushal Dalal | Beat China 238–237 |
| Compound women’s team | Gold | Chikitha Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep | Beat China 238–234 |
| Compound mixed team | Gold | Chikitha Taniparthi, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav | Beat Korea 157–157, shoot-off 20–19 |
| Compound men’s individual | Bronze | Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru | Beat Vietnam’s Cong Duc Dang 149–144 |
| Recurve women’s team | Gold | Ankita Bhakat, Kirti, Kumkum Anil Mohod | Beat Korea 5–3 |
| Recurve women’s individual | Gold | Kumkum Anil Mohod | Beat Korea’s Oh Yejin 6–5 after a shoot-off |
| Recurve mixed team | Silver | Kumkum Anil Mohod, Dhiraj Bommadevara | Lost to China 5–3 |
| Recurve men’s team | Silver | Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan | Lost to Korea 5–1 |
| Recurve men’s individual | Bronze | Neeraj Chauhan | Won an all-Indian bronze match against Dhiraj Bommadevara |
Kumkum Mohod’s golden double
Mohod came into the women’s recurve individual event as the ninth qualifier and world No. 51. On her way to the final she beat Korea’s top seed Kang Chaeyoung, the 2025 world champion, 6–4, and China’s world No. 3 Zhu Jingyi 6–2. In the final against Korea’s Oh Yejin she trailed 3–5 going into the last end, shot three 10s to force a shoot-off, and then shot another 10 to Oh’s 8.
A day earlier, Mohod, Ankita Bhakat and Kirti beat Korea 5–3 in the women’s recurve team final, ending Korea’s run of seven straight titles in the event. The Prime Minister’s Office called it India’s first-ever gold in the women’s recurve team event. “These are the results of a lot of hard work,” Mohod told World Archery.
Compound: a clean sweep of the team events
The men’s compound team trailed China 58–60 after the first end, then shot a perfect 180 over the next three ends. China still led 179–178 going into the final end, but India won by a single point, 238–237. The women’s team beat China 238–234; Vennam and Pradeep hit 10 with all eight of their arrows.
In the compound mixed team final, Taniparthi and Jadhav were level with Korea at 157–157 and won the shoot-off 20–19. Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru added a bronze in the men’s individual event with a score of 149, including eight Xs. In the women’s individual event, Taniparthi lost her quarterfinal 144–143 to Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah, who went on to win gold.
The road to Los Angeles 2028
The compound mixed team win gave India the two quota places for that event, which will be held at the Olympics for the first time in 2028. World Archery said Mohod’s individual title also secured a quota place. Quota places belong to the country, so the national Olympic committee will decide which archers fill them.
Our calculation
| Question | Answer | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| Share of India’s Asian Games golds won in archery | About 24% | 5 of India’s 21 golds |
| Share of India’s total medals won in archery | About 11% | 9 of 85 medals |
| Golds by discipline | Compound 3, recurve 2 | From the medal list above |
| Winning margin in the men’s compound team final | 1 point | 238–237 out of a possible 240 |
What it means for India and Asia
Recurve archery in Asia has long been dominated by Korea, and to a lesser degree China. India beat both on the way to its two recurve golds, including the top seed and the world No. 3 in the individual event. In compound, India beat China in both team finals and Korea in the mixed team final, confirming it as one of the strongest compound nations in the region. With compound mixed team joining the Olympic programme in 2028, that strength now counts towards Olympic medals as well.
What to watch
- Which archers India picks for its LA28 quota places.
- Whether Kumkum Mohod can carry her form into the World Cup circuit next season.
- Further Olympic quota events for Los Angeles 2028.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam, part of India’s gold-winning women’s compound team, receiving the Arjuna Award at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2017 (file photo). Image: President’s Secretariat, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · Licence
Sources
- Official results: 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026
- World Archery: Teenager Kumkum Mohod delivers historic golden double for India on Asian Games debut
- World Archery: India defends compound team titles, secures first LA28 Olympic quotas
- World Archery: Compound individual finals at the Asian Games
- Prime Minister’s Office: PM congratulates Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Anil Mohod and Kirti
- PIB (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports): Asian Games 2026, India’s journey from New Delhi to Aichi-Nagoya (PDF)
The Sports Desk covers cricket, the Asian Games and Indian and international sport. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
