For Indian compound archery, which gobbled all five gold medals on offer at the Hangzhou Asian Games , winning another mixed team event gold would have been more of a routine affair three years on. The mixed event, though, was anything but routine at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
They had shot a world-record score of 160 in the elimination rounds and 159 in the semi-final against China. Chikitha hit 9 off her final shot while Jadav hit 10 off his last. That the Koreans were gunning especially for this event was evident from their run in Japan. The Koreans let loose four 10s for a perfect score in the final set. And the contest, which seemed to be heading India’s way, was now left to the fine margins of a shoot-off.
Chikitha and Sahil held off a spirited comeback by Koreans Park Jungyoon and Choi Yonghee to win the final in a shoot-off, after scores were tied at 157-157. Because of what it carried: an early berth to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where compound will make its Olympic debut with the mixed team event, it stood out. And carrying a special placard were Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav.
The Indian duo secured an early Olympics quota for the country by winning the mixed team gold on Wednesday.
