India Shines at Asia Cup 2026 Archery with Multiple Medals
India's Dominance in Archery
In a remarkable display of skill, Team India excelled at the Asia Cup 2026 archery Stage I tournament held in Bangkok, achieving a clean sweep in the men's individual events on Friday. Uday Kamboj triumphed over Asian Games medalist Prathamesh Jawkar with a score of 145-144, securing the gold medal in an all-Indian final. Rajat Chauhan also contributed to the success by narrowly defeating Thailand's Peerawat Rattanapongkiat, also with a score of 145-144, ensuring India occupied all three podium spots.
Uday's Journey to Gold
Uday Kamboj initially trailed Prathamesh 57-59 after the second end. However, a perfect score of 30 in the third end allowed him to take the lead in the fourth end, ultimately clinching the gold medal.
Women's Individual Event
In the women's individual compound archery event, Tejal Salve showcased her exceptional talent by defeating Mariia Dimidiuk with a score of 144-135, only dropping six points across 15 arrows.
Team Events Success
India's success extended to team competitions, where they secured both gold and silver medals in the mixed and women's team events.
Mixed Team Gold
In the mixed team category, which will debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, India's top-seeded duo of Chikitha Taniparthi and Rajat Chauhan claimed gold. They defeated Malaysia's Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh and Mohd Juwaidi Mazuki with a score of 158-156, demonstrating remarkable precision by only dropping two points across 16 arrows.
Women's Team Silver
The women's team, consisting of Chikitha Taniparthi, Raj Kaur, and Tejal Salve, narrowly missed out on gold, finishing with a silver medal after a close match against Kazakhstan, losing 227-229.
Bronze Medal Achievements
Earlier in the tournament, the men's compound archery team, featuring Rajat Chauhan, Uday Kamboj, and world No. 4 Rishabh Yadav, along with the Indian women's recurve team of Ruma Biswas, Kirti, and Ridhi, secured bronze medals.
India's Overall Medal Count
With six medals earned on Friday across various events, India concluded the tournament with a total of eight medals, comprising two gold, two silver, and four bronze.
Medal Winners Summary
*Asia Cup 2026 archery, Bangkok: Indian medal winners - Uday Kamboj (men's compound) - gold medal - Chikitha Taniparthi, Rajat Chauhan (mixed team compound) - gold medal - Prathamesh Jawkar (men's compound) - silver medal - Chikitha Taniparthi, Raj Kaur, Tejal Salve (women's team compound) - silver medal - Rajat Chauhan (men's compound) - bronze medal - Tejal Salve (women's compound) - bronze medal - Rajat Chauhan, Uday Kamboj, Rishabh Yadav (men's team compound) - bronze medal - Ruma Biswas, Kirti, Ridhi (women's team recurve) - bronze medal.