CM Fadnavis hails India's archery gold at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
India's Women's Compound Archery Team — Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi — won gold at Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, defeating China 238-234 to defend their title and equal the world record. CM Devendra Fadnavis congratulated the trio.
Key Takeaways
India won gold in the Women's Compound Team Event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam , Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi defeated China 238–234 in the final.
The score of 238 equalled the Women's Compound Team world record .
The victory defended India's title won at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam is a TOPS Core athlete; Prithika and Chikitha are TAGG Athletes supported under national sports schemes.
CM Devendra Fadnavis congratulated the trio on X, calling their achievement a matter of national pride.
A 238–234 scoreline over China. A world record equalled. A title defended. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took to X on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 to celebrate one of Indian archery's finest moments — the Women's Compound Team gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The arrow has landed. The scoreboard reads gold. Now the clock starts for Los Angeles.
A score that stopped the clock — and matched the world
India's trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi did not just beat China in the final — they did it with a score of 238, equalling the Women's Compound Team world record. The margin, just four points, belies how commanding the performance was: composure under pressure, precision in the clutch, and a shared nerve that held all the way to the last arrow. Fadnavis congratulated the team with unambiguous pride. 'Your remarkable 238–234 victory over China not only defended India's title but also equalled the World Record,' he wrote. 'Your hard work, determination and teamwork have made the entire nation proud.'Jyothi Surekha leads a generation-defining unit
Jyothi Surekha Vennam is no stranger to this stage. The compound specialist and TOPS Core athlete has been among India's most decorated archers across World Cup and World Championship circuits. Alongside her, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi — both listed as TAGG Athletes — reflect how India's talent pipeline now reaches beyond the established names and into a deep, battle-tested second tier. The trio defends a title won at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where India's compound women announced themselves as Asia's dominant force. Back-to-back Asian Games golds against China — the continent's perennial compound powerhouse — is not coincidence. It is consequence.What TOPS built, the podium delivered
India's surge in archery has been deliberately engineered. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, funnels structured financial support, international exposure and specialised coaching to athletes identified as podium-capable. Jyothi Surekha's TOPS Core designation signals the highest tier of that investment. The Aichi-Nagoya gold is the return on that bet. State-level programmes and the TAGG Athlete framework, which backs Prithika and Chikitha, complete the ladder — ensuring the best young archers have a clear, funded path from domestic promise to international gold.The road points to Los Angeles
Every arrow shot in Japan this week carries weight beyond the 2026 medal table. The 2027 World Archery Championships and, above all, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics sit firmly on the horizon. Compound archery is not an Olympic discipline, but recurve qualification and the overall archery programme benefit enormously from the confidence, infrastructure and international ranking points that Asian Games golds generate. India goes into both as a nation that just equalled a world record while defending a continental title. That is not a claim many countries can make — and it is a statement the selection committees and coaching staff will build from.The arrow has landed. The scoreboard reads gold. Now the clock starts for Los Angeles.
Point of View
Repeatable podium performances rather than isolated breakthroughs. The political attention from senior leaders such as CM Fadnavis adds visible state endorsement to what has quietly become one of India's strongest team-sport pipelines. With compound archery outside the Olympics, the real test will be whether this momentum translates into recurve and mixed-team results on the road to Los Angeles 2028. A world record equalled today keeps the conversation alive.
NationPress
30 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Women's Compound Team gold at Asian Games 2026?
India's team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi won gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
What was the score in the India vs China archery final at Asian Games 2026?
India defeated China by a score of 238–234 in the Women's Compound Team Event final at the Asian Games 2026.
Did India break a world record at Asian Games 2026 archery?
India's Women's Compound Team equalled the world record with a score of 238 in the final against China at Asian Games 2026.
What is TOPS and how does it help Indian archers?
TOPS — the Target Olympic Podium Scheme — was launched in 2014 by India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to provide financial support, coaching and international exposure to elite athletes. Jyothi Surekha Vennam competes as a TOPS Core athlete.
Has India won the Women's Compound Team gold at the Asian Games before?
Yes. India previously won the Women's Compound Team gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, making the 2026 title in Aichi-Nagoya a successful defence.
