Dominant start, nervy finish: Mixed team archers win gold, qualify for Olympics

India's compound archers Sahil Rajesh and Chikitha Taniparthi secured Olympic qualification for Los Angeles 2028 after winning the Asian Games mixed team gold medal on Wednesday, surviving a nervy shoot-off against South Korea's Choi Yonghee and Park Jungyoon.

India had looked to be cruising towards gold after a near-perfect start, but a late wobble allowed South Korea to pull level at 157-157 and force a shoot-off. The Indian pair held their nerve when it mattered most, shooting a perfect 10-10 combination to put the pressure back on their opponents.

South Korea could not match them. One of their archers hit a 9, handing India the gold medal and completing a second archery triumph of the day. Screengrab: SonyLiv

The victory also carried significance beyond the Asian Games podium. Compound archery will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, with the mixed team event among the new events on the programme. The Asian Games champions were guaranteed one men's and one women's quota place for LA28, making the gold medal in Okazaki a direct route to Olympic qualification for India.

India had entered the final against a South Korean pair that had already shown just how high the scoring could go. Earlier in the competition, Choi and Park had combined for a world-record score of 160, hitting all 10s across their 16 arrows.

The Koreans therefore arrived in the final with the weight of that performance behind them. India, however, started without any visible sign of being overawed.

Sahil and Chikitha were perfect through the opening two ends, hitting all eight arrows into the 10-ring to score 80 out of 80. South Korea, by comparison, dropped two points after shooting two 9s to finish the opening phase on 78.

The Indian pair had established a two-point advantage and appeared to be moving towards a comfortable victory.

Sahil was regularly speaking to Chikitha between shots, helping her settle and line up her arrows as the pair tried to build on India's strong start. The gold was also significant for the Indian archery contingent, which had already won a title earlier in the day. Sahil Rajesh in Asian Games Final. (AP Photo)

Both Indian archers dropped a point, with the pair finishing the end on 38 out of 40. South Korea took advantage of the opening, maintaining their composure and continuing to find the 10-ring with remarkable consistency.

The margin that India had built up began to disappear.

By the final end, the Koreans had almost completely erased the deficit. India needed to hold its nerve, but another 9 left the door open. South Korea capitalised and the scores were level at 157-157 after 16 arrows apiece.

The final had gone from a seemingly comfortable Indian victory to a one-end shoot-off.

Sahil and Chikitha took their positions again, knowing that one mistake could decide the gold medal. There was little between the two teams throughout the final, and the same was true of the opening shots of the shoot-off.

India, however, produced the perfect response.

The pressure shifted entirely to South Korea, and one of their arrows landed in the 9-ring. That single-point difference was enough. India won the shoot-off and with it the Asian Games gold medal. South Korea fumble at the very end. (AP Photo)

The victory also extended India's title defence in the compound mixed team event. The discipline has been one of the country's strongest areas in archery at the Asian Games, and this year's result came with the added incentive of Olympic qualification. World Archery had identified the compound mixed team competition as one of the LA28 qualification events, with the Asian Games champion securing a men's and women's quota place for the Games.advertisementWHO IS SAHIL RAJESH?For Sahil, the gold medal caps a journey that began almost a decade ago after a neighbour introduced him to archery.

Sahil started practising the sport in 2016 after watching his neighbour train. He had played several sports during his school years and was looking for one discipline to pursue seriously when archery caught his attention.

He eventually began training at Drushti Archery Academy, where he developed his basic skills and gradually made the transition from a young athlete trying out a new sport to a competitive archer.

The journey was not always straightforward.

Financial difficulties made it difficult at times for Sahil to continue his training and compete at tournaments. In 2022, he even considered giving up archery altogether because of the financial strain.

His family, particularly his father, helped keep that from happening.

His parents backed his decision to continue and assured him that they would manage the financial difficulties, allowing Sahil to remain focused on his training and competitive ambitions.

The support began to pay off when he made his international breakthrough in 2025. Since then, he has represented India at Archery World Cup stages and continental competitions, winning two international medals, one silver and one bronze.

The Asian Games gold is now the biggest medal of his career, and it has also taken him to an Olympic Games that will mark a historic first for compound archery.WHO IS CHIKITHA TANIPARTHI?

Chikitha's introduction to archery came much earlier, and from within her own family.

A compound archer from Telangana, Chikitha comes from a farming family and was encouraged by her father to take up the sport when she was in Class 2. He had read about archery in a newspaper and encouraged his daughter to give it a try.

What began as an early interest gradually became a passion.

Chikitha formally began her archery journey in 2018 and started pursuing the sport professionally in 2021. Four years later, she made her international breakthrough and established herself as an important member of India's compound archery squad.

Her breakthrough year also brought the biggest individual achievement of her young career.

At the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg, Chikitha won the Under-21 women's individual gold medal. She became the first Indian woman to win that title in the history of the event.

She also represented India on the 2025 Archery World Cup circuit, gaining experience at senior international level.

At the Asian Games, that progression has taken another significant step.- Ends