29 September 2026 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : Archery has emerged as one of India’s key medal prospects at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with Indian archers making a strong start across the recurve and compound events.
India sent a 12-member archery contingent to the Games, featuring established names such as Dhiraj Bommadevara and Jyothi Surekha Vennam alongside emerging talents. As of September 29, India’s archers have reached multiple team semifinals and several individual quarterfinals, although the archery medal events are still to come.
Dhiraj Bommadevara Leads Men’s Recurve Charge
Dhiraj Bommadevara has continued his impressive run in men’s recurve.
The Indian archer, who recently became the first Indian male recurve archer to win an individual Archery World Cup Final gold, entered the Asian Games as one of India’s major medal hopes.
He defeated the Philippines’ Girvin Garcia 6-0 in the Round of 32 before beating Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Hsiang-Hui 6-2 in the Round of 16.
Dhiraj will face Amirkon Sadikov of Uzbekistan in the men’s recurve individual quarterfinal on October 3.
Neeraj Chauhan Produces Major Upset
India’s Neeraj Chauhan also reached the men’s recurve quarterfinals after a notable victory over South Korea’s Kim Je-deok, a multiple Olympic medallist.
Neeraj first defeated Indonesia’s Riau Ega Agata Salsabilla 6-4 in the Round of 32. He then overcame Kim Je-deok 6-4 in the Round of 16.
The Indian archer held his nerve after the match was level at 4-4 and won the deciding set to complete the upset. He will meet Dorji Lam of Bhutan in the quarterfinals.
Dhiraj Tops Recurve Qualification
Dhiraj had also topped the men’s recurve qualification round with an impressive 698 points from 72 arrows, including 37 shots in the 10-ring and 13 Xs.
His qualification score put him ahead of South Korea’s Kim Je-deok and Chinese Taipei’s Tang Chih-Chun.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam Suffers Shock Exit
One of India’s biggest setbacks came in the women’s compound individual event.
Defending champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam, who won three gold medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, was eliminated in the Round of 16 by 14-year-old South Korean archer Kang Yeonseo.
Kang produced a perfect 150, while Jyothi finished with 146. The result ended Jyothi’s defence of the individual compound title.
Chikitha Taniparthi Reaches Compound Quarterfinals
India’s Chikitha Taniparthi has emerged as another major individual medal contender.
She topped the women’s compound qualification with a career-best 705, one point ahead of Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei. She later defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chen Yi-hsuan in a shoot-off after their pre-quarterfinal ended 148-148.
Chikitha won the shoot-off with an inner 10 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where she is scheduled to face Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah.
Ganesh Mani Ratnam Wins All-Indian Compound Battle
In the men’s compound individual event, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru defeated fellow Indian Sahil Jadhav 149-148 in the Round of 16.
The tightly contested match remained level at 119-119 after four ends before Ganesh edged ahead in the final end.
He advanced to the quarterfinals and will face Chen Chieh-lun of Chinese Taipei.
Sahil Jadhav’s Individual Campaign Ends
Before facing Ganesh, Sahil defeated Mongolia’s Jamiyangombo Purevdorj 149-137.
His run ended against his Indian teammate in the Round of 16, but Sahil remains part of India’s compound team and mixed-team medal campaign.
India’s Clean Sweep in Team Events
India made an impressive start in the team competitions, with its archers progressing to the semifinals across the team categories.
The men’s recurve team defeated China 5-1, while the women’s recurve team beat Chinese Taipei 6-0 in their quarterfinals.
The recurve mixed team of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod also defeated Vietnam 6-0 after beating the UAE in the previous round.
In compound mixed team action, Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi defeated Kazakhstan 159-154 after beating Mongolia 160-146.
India’s men’s compound team of Sahil Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam and Kushal Dalal beat Bhutan 235-232, while the women’s compound team of Chikitha Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep defeated Kazakhstan 233-230 to reach the semifinals.
Archery Medal Schedule
The archery medal events are scheduled over the final stages of the competition.
September 30: Compound team semifinals and medal matches, including the women’s, men’s and mixed team events.
October 1: Women’s and men’s individual compound quarterfinals, semifinals and medal matches.
October 2: Women’s, men’s and mixed recurve team semifinals and medal matches.
October 3: Women’s and men’s individual recurve quarterfinals, semifinals and medal matches.
No Archery Medals Yet
As of September 29, India has not yet won an archery medal at the 2026 Asian Games, because the sport’s medal matches are scheduled for September 30 onwards.
However, India has secured multiple semifinal and quarterfinal berths, leaving several opportunities for podium finishes during the final stages of the competition.
India’s 12-Member Archery Squad
India’s archery contingent comprises:
Men’s Recurve: Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge.
Women’s Recurve: Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat.
Men’s Compound: Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, Ganesh Mani Ratnam.
Women’s Compound: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi, Prithika Pradeep.
Strong Medal Hopes for India
India enjoyed a highly successful archery campaign at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, winning five gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
The Aichi-Nagoya campaign has already produced several strong individual and team performances, but the most important contests are still ahead.
With Dhiraj and Neeraj through to the men’s recurve quarterfinals, Chikitha and Ganesh progressing in compound, and multiple Indian teams in the semifinals, archery could yet become an important contributor to India’s final medal tally.