Asian Games 2026: Archer Sahil thrilled at making the grade for the Olympics

Mixed Compound Archery Team members Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav who won the Gold Medal at the Asian Games at Aichi- Nagoya, Japan, on September 30, 2026. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Sahil Jadhav first participated in an international event in 2025. On Wednesday (September 30, 2026), the 25-year-old became the first Indian compound archer to qualify for the Olympics, along with Chikitha Taniparthi, winning the mixed team event.“It’s a big thing for me to win an Asian Games gold and to get an Olympic quota for the country. That is what every athlete dreams of; going to the Olympics, representing your country, winning medals. To do so here in my first Asian Games feels really special,” Sahil, who shot only one nine in the entire mixed final, told The Hindu after completing a golden double, winning the men’s team gold as well.It was also the first time in almost a week that the sun appeared in the Nagoya skies and while Sahil was glad it didn’t rain, he insisted the archers weren’t bothered much by the conditions.Focused“It’s good that it didn’t rain, but honestly, we weren’t thinking about it at all. Our mindset was only of retaining the gold, come what may.“This is what we had worked so hard for; this is what we had practised for — playing 2-3 events continuously, shooting in all types of conditions. We used to get exhausted and ready to drop during training, but we persisted, knowing what we were aiming for. We knew there would be both physical and mental pressure. We had worked for it and we got it,” an elated Sahil said.About the comeback in the final round against China, Sahil was candid. “Of course there was pressure. But we knew if we kept doing our things right, everything would fall into place. Overthinking and trying to do too many different things would have only backfired so we kept it simple and routine,” he explained.National coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja admitted that the mindset of the younger archers in India had changed a lot over the years. “Now they don’t think of participating but winning. The idea of simply participating in the Asian Games or Olympics is not there, especially with compound, which was always treated like a stepchild for so long. The younger archers are more aggressive, bolder and more positive in their thinking,” he said.Getting the respectJyothi Surekha Vennam, the most experienced of the lot, insisted it was high time Indian compound archers get the same respect and recognition as the Koreans internationally.“We have been proving ourselves for the past few years, winning each and every medal possible at the highest levels. I think we are really growing, and hopefully we will continue to grow even more in the coming years,” she hoped.Brushing aside the constantly changing conditions, the 30-year-old Jyothi credited her younger teammates for the team gold. “Everyone is experienced in their own way because they have their own experiences; it’s not their first event, they have won medals before. I think we were just good as a team today.“We didn’t think about defending the title; going into the final, we decided we would just enjoy ourselves and give our best. How the opponent shoots is not in our hands; how we do is. We were focused on ourselves because once you get distracted, it becomes difficult to focus and shoot well.” Published - September 30, 2026 07:15 pm IST