India makes it three out of three in archery, beat China in thrilling men's compound final

Sahil Rajesh Jadhav was the standout performer for India. He took eight shots in the final, and none were lower than 10.

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India made it three out of three in archery, triggering a gold rush on Day 12 at the 2026 Asian Games. The women’s and mixed teams had finished on top of the podium in their respective events earlier in the morning at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The men’s team followed suit with a thrilling come-from-behind win over China in the final.

It was a contest of two halves for India’s Kushal Dalal, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru in the finale on Wednesday afternoon. Kushal and Ganesh opened with a 9 each as India trailed China by two points after the first series. China’s Jiahao Liao, Jinyu Liu and Jingyu Shi, meanwhile, did not hit anything lower than 10 in the opening series.

India, however, went toe-to-toe with China thereafter, scoring a perfect 180 points across the remaining three series. China were outstanding as well, sending in seven more 10s before suffering their first blip on their 14th arrow, a 9 that reduced the gap to just one point.

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China recovered with four more 10s, but an 8 at the start of the fourth series proved costly. India did not miss thereafter, holding their nerve to edge out China 238-237.

Sahil was the standout performer for India. He took eight shots in the final, and none were lower than 10. Kushal and Ganesh would have been under pressure after their opening 9s, but neither missed again. Ganesh, in particular, took his time before releasing several of his arrows and remained composed as the contest went down to the wire.

The Indian trio had set the tone in the semifinal against South Korea as well. They were ‘ten-acious’ through their first seven attempts before Ganesh broke the run with a 9, a shot that appeared to be right on the line.

South Korea, by contrast, made a disastrous start. Jongho Kim opened with a 7, and although Yonghee Choi followed with a 10, Eun Gyu Choi managed only a 9. South Korea then fought back with a string of 10s. After five consecutive 10s, Kushal sent in a 9, but the Koreans were unable to sustain their recovery after two further 9s. Kushal’s subsequent 9 therefore did little damage, with India leading by eight points after three series.

Kushal and Sahil both sent in 9s in the final series, but India still closed out the semifinal comfortably, winning 236-229.

India had won all five gold medals on offer in compound archery at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. The team has now defended three of those five titles. Ganesh and Chikitha Taniparthi remain India’s hopes in the singles events, with both through to the quarterfinals in the men’s and women’s competitions respectively.

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  Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.Read More

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