India's archers return from golden Asian Games run with pressure off

India’s archers returned home from the Asian Games with five gold medals, two Olympic quota places and a renewed sense that the pressure surrounding the country's next generation has finally eased after a history-making campaign in Nagoya.

The haul included landmark victories over South Korea and a first-ever Olympic quota place for India in compound archery, while the country's archers collected five medals in recurve and four in compound events.

Compound coach Dave Cousins said the results vindicated a new-look squad that had faced questions over whether its younger members could deliver on a major international stage.

“So early on, they wanted us to make predictions on how many medals we could get. The only thing we were willing to commit to is that our athletes would go prepared and that they would execute the process as best they could,” Cousins said after the team returned to Delhi.

“When the training is right, the preparation is right and the ecosystem is right, these are the results you get. So we're very happy with that. We're exceptionally happy to clinch the first ever compound archery spot for the Olympic Games. That's a huge thing for us right now,” he added.

Sahil Jadhav and Chikitha Taniparthi, two of the less experienced members of the compound squad, delivered one of the biggest moments by winning the mixed team gold against Chinese Taipei and securing an Olympic quota.

Jadhav also helped India win the men's compound team gold, while Taniparthi joined veteran Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep in the women's team that defeated China 238-234 with a world-record-equalling score.

Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru won two medals, contributing to the men's compound team gold and taking individual bronze. Kushal Dalal was also part of the gold-winning men's team.

Jadhav said the mixed team final was less about pressure than putting into practice what the archers had repeatedly rehearsed.

“It feels fantastic, and seeing this grand welcome gives us even more joy. There wasn't pressure as such because we had practised specifically for these situations,” he said.

“It was all about execution, and we delivered. Now I feel all the hard work I've put in so far has truly paid off.”

For Taniparthi, the success has brought greater belief to a young group that is still finding its feet at the top level.

“This feels so good and happy, and by this we will get motivated that we have to win more, do more hard work, then every time we will also get this,” she said.

Dalal said preparation for high-pressure situations had been built into the team's training camps.

“It feels incredible seeing so many people gather for the celebration. We trained specifically for high-pressure moments during our camps, so once we were out there, we didn't feel overwhelmed,” he said.

Kumkum leads recurve charge

The recurve contingent also produced a breakthrough campaign, with Kumkum Mohod emerging as one of India's standout performers.

She won individual gold, helped India secure women's team gold and also claimed mixed team silver with Dhiraj Bommadevara. Her individual triumph against South Korea's Oh-Yejin also secured an Olympic quota for India.

Kumkum said the success reflected months of preparation and the support surrounding the team.

“What we thought would happen, happened. It was the team's hard work, all the team's motivation, and the support of the Archery Association of India and SAI. That's why everything happened,” she said.

In the individual final, Kumkum deliberately shut out thoughts of her opponent and concentrated on her own shooting.

“In the final match, I completely enjoyed my shooting. I held on to my feeling, just shot my arrows and didn't look at who was ahead,” she said.

Her approach was simple: remain disciplined and focus on the task rather than the occasion.

Kirti Sharma was part of the women's recurve team that produced another historic result, beating 10-time Olympic champions South Korea 5-3 in the final.

“India's first gold in this event. We beat Korea to win gold, so this created history for us. I feel very good that I was part of the team that created that history,” Sharma said.

South Korea's dominance meant the pressure was considerable, but Sharma said the Indian team entered the final believing it could break the pattern.

“There was pressure because that team always took gold, so there was pressure on us, but we thought that we would do it, and we did,” she said.

The men's recurve team also contributed strongly, with Bommadevara winning silver in the mixed team and men's team events. Neeraj Chauhan took individual bronze and men's team silver, while Yashdeep Bhoge was part of the silver-winning men's team.

Bommadevara said the support available to Indian archers had changed significantly during his career.

“Earlier, there was hardly any support, and I relied closely on my family and friends. But if it weren't for this government, I wouldn't be standing here today. Our Prime Minister, our Sports Minister and our administrative setup have been so supportive,” he said.

He acknowledged the pressure of a major Games but credited the team's atmosphere for helping the archers stay composed.

“Pressure is there for everyone, but we were fortunate to have a team where we could stay cool and calm,” he said.

The next major targets are already on the horizon.

“Next year, we have the World Championships, where Olympic quotas are there, and after that the LA Olympics,” Bommadevara said.

For Chauhan, who was competing at his first Asian Games, the individual bronze was a source of pride after navigating the pressure of a major debut.

“I went with the hope that I had to bring a medal for India, and bringing this medal has made me and my family very proud,” he said.

Bhoge, also making his Asian Games debut, said unity within the squad helped the archers negotiate difficult moments.

“Obviously it was my debut, so there were crunch moments, but everyone kept their morale up. The team stayed together. Because the whole team stayed together, we were able to play well and maintain ourselves,” he said.

After a campaign that delivered medals, Olympic qualification and victories over one of the sport's traditional powers, Indian archery now heads towards the World Championships and Los Angeles with a different burden — not proving that it belongs, but building on the belief that Nagoya has created.