Jyothi's redemption, Chikhita, Prithika's spark power golden archery start

India had a reputation to defend as they stepped into the archery ring on Wednesday, September 30. They were coming into the business end of the women's team compound competition. They had ended South Korea's dominance over the sport at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last time around.

In Nagoya, they were expected to continue their dominance and had an interesting lineup for the contest. Jyothi Surekha Vennam needs no introduction. A former national-level swimmer, she eventually found her calling in archery after taking up the sport at a young age. Her progress was rapid, and she soon established herself among the leading compound archers in the world.

Her biggest breakthrough came at the 2023 Asian Games, where she produced a historic campaign by winning gold in the women's individual, women's team and mixed team events. With three titles in a single edition, she became the first Indian archer to achieve the feat at the Asian Games.

But she needed redemption after losing to 14-year-old Kang Yeon-seo of Korea and thus, relinquishing her compound individual crown. There was the youthful spark from Chikhita Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep.

Coming from a farming family, Chikhita was introduced to archery by her father, who encouraged her to take up the sport after reading about it in a newspaper when she was in Class 2. She formally began training in 2018, and what started as an early interest soon developed into a passion.

She made her international breakthrough in 2025 and quickly became an important part of India's compound archery team. At the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg, she won the Under-21 women's individual gold, becoming the first Indian woman to claim the title in the event's history.

Prithika took up archery as a hobby in Class 5, drawn to the sport because it was new and exciting. What began as a recreational activity soon grew into a serious interest, prompting her parents to enrol her in professional coaching from Class 6. Their support helped her make the transition from a school-level hobbyist to a competitive archer.

She has since been a vital cog in the archery machinery for India, winning a total of seven medals at the international level. But on Wednesday, all three women had one aim. Not just the perfect 10, but gold.INDIA DOMINATE THE FINAL

Before reaching the final, they had a big hurdle in front of them in the form of Korea.

And the match up lived up to the billing. It was at times tense and end-to-end.

There was nothing to separate both teams in the first end. The score was 59-59.

It was the second one where India was able to use Jyothi's experience and Chikhita and Prithika's youthful exuberance to take the lead. Score: 59-56.

India wobbled a bit in the third end, scoring 58, but the damage was done in the second one. They sealed the deal in the final one, matching Korea's score of 58 and seeing off the match 234-233.

After such a tight affair, you would have expected China to put up a fight and run the match close.

What followed was pure dominance. India came out firing in the final, producing a string of perfect 10s to edge China 60-58 in the opening end.

The defending champions maintained their composure in the second end, matching their opponents' score to win it 60-58 and strengthen their advantage. India then carried a 178-176 lead into the final end.

Under mounting pressure, China slipped with two 9s, while India delivered another flawless round. Six perfect 10s in the final end sealed the victory, allowing India to retain the title and match the world record.

While Chikhita had a few 9s in the mix, Jyothi and Prithika were perfect. They just kept hitting 10s with ease as their coach's beaming smile cut through the dark clouds in Nagoya.

The gold medals and the smiles of the trio then added to the vibrancy of the field as India finely started their crown defence.- Ends