India is enjoying a remarkable run at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with Indian athletes producing several record-breaking performances across archery, shooting and athletics.
The biggest achievement on September 30 came from compound archery, where India completed a clean sweep of all three team gold medals and, through the mixed-team victory, secured India’s first Olympic quota in the compound mixed-team event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Compound mixed-team archery will make its Olympic debut at LA 2028.
Historic Compound Archery Sweep
India’s compound archers delivered three gold medals in a single day:
- Women’s Compound Team: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep defeated China 238–234.
- Mixed Compound Team: Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav defeated South Korea after a dramatic shoot-off.
- Men’s Compound Team: Kushal Dalal, Sahil Jadhav and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru defeated China 238–237.
The women’s team score of 238 equalled the world record.
The mixed-team final was particularly significant. Chikitha and Sahil were tied 157–157 with South Korea before winning the shoot-off. Their gold secured India’s quota place for the LA 2028 Olympic mixed compound team event.
Important clarification: the Olympic quota is specifically for the compound mixed-team event, rather than a general quota for every compound archery event.
🎯 Neeru Dhanda Creates Shooting History
Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda produced another landmark performance.
She became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in an individual shotgun event, taking gold in women’s trap. Her performance also set an Asian Games record in the event.
Neeru later teamed up with Kynan Chenai to win mixed-team trap gold. The Indian pair recorded 34 points in the final, a new Asian record.
🏃 Gulveer Singh’s Three-Medal Achievement
Distance runner Gulveer Singh has also been one of India’s standout performers.
He won:
- 🥈 Silver – 10,000m
- 🥈 Silver – 1,500m
- 🥉 Bronze – 5,000m
His three-medal haul makes him only the second Indian man to win three athletics medals in a single edition of the Asian Games, according to reports.
🏃♀️ Vithya Ramraj Breaks a 42-Year-Old Record
Indian athlete Vithya Ramraj produced another major milestone in the 400m hurdles by breaking a 42-year-old Indian national record. Her performance was among India’s notable athletics achievements at Aichi-Nagoya.
India also won the women’s 4×400m relay gold, with the quartet clocking 3:29.69, continuing India’s long-standing medal streak in the event.
🇮🇳 India’s Golden Day
September 30 became India’s most productive day of the Games so far, with four gold medals in one day—three from compound archery and one from mixed-team trap shooting.
By the end of the day, reports put India’s tally at 60 medals — 10 gold, 21 silver and 29 bronze. The Games continue until October 4, so India’s final medal tally is not yet complete.
🇮🇳 Why Asian Games 2026 Is Significant for India
The Aichi-Nagoya Games have already produced several important milestones for Indian sport:
| Achievement | Indian performance |
| 🏹 Olympic qualification | Compound mixed-team quota for LA 2028 |
| 🏹 Archery | Three compound team golds in one day |
| 🏹 World record | Women’s compound team score of 238 equalled world record |
| 🎯 Shooting | Neeru Dhanda’s first-ever Indian women’s individual shotgun gold |
| 🎯 Shooting | Neeru Dhanda–Kynan Chenai set Asian record in mixed trap |
| 🏃 Athletics | Gulveer Singh won three medals |
| 🏃 Athletics | Vithya Ramraj broke a 42-year-old national record |
| 🏃♀️ Relay | India retained its women’s 4×400m Asian Games medal streak |
Conclusion
The Asian Games 2026 are turning into an important chapter in Indian sporting history. The compound archers’ three-gold sweep, India’s first LA 2028 quota in mixed compound archery, Neeru Dhanda’s historic shooting gold, Gulveer Singh’s three-medal athletics performance and Vithya Ramraj’s national record demonstrate the breadth of India’s performances across different sports.
With competition continuing in Aichi-Nagoya, India still has opportunities to add to its medal tally before the Games conclude on October 4, 2026.