Asian Games: Double gold is fine, but star archer Sahil eyes LA 2028 next

• Sahil Jadhav wins two Asian Games golds, helping India sweep all three compound archery titles and securing an Olympic quota for LA 2028

• SAI centres in Kolkata and Sonepat play a key role, with months of meticulous training and all-weather preparation powering India’s success

• Jadhav and coach Haresh Kumar credit rigorous preparation, including camps in Himachal Pradesh, Sonepat and Japan’s windy conditions, for the golden run

If the archers have been able to bring smiles back to the faces of Indian sports fans over the last two days at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, they owe a fair share of the credit to meticulous planning and training at the SAI National Centres of Excellence in Kolkata and Sonepat. India swept all three gold medals on offer in the compound events, pushing the tricolour higher on the medal tally.

Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, the 25-year-old from Satara in Maharashtra who climbed to the top of the podium twice on Wednesday, may have grabbed a fair share of the spotlight but is not willing to rest on his laurels. The feat earned Sahil an Olympic quota for India in the mixed compound event for Los Angeles 2028, and he is already focused on the bigger goal.

“It’s okay. I am happy that I won two Asian Games gold medals and made the country and my parents proud, but there is a lot more to achieve,” Sahil told SAI media on a video call. “I am happy that I was able to deliver my best performance today and also earn a quota for the next Olympics,” he added.

The star archer, who trains at SAI NCOE in Kolkata, asserted that he was confident of putting up a good show when he travelled to Japan for the continental multi-sport extravaganza.

“Every athlete aims to win gold and put up their best performance. I was confident that I had the ability to win gold. That is why I toiled hard during practice over the past several months. I knew I could produce something special,” Sahil said.

Meanwhile, Haresh Kumar, Sahil’s coach at SAI Kolkata, was over the moon as he celebrated his ward’s triumph at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

“I am happy with all his shots, as Sahil was able to perfectly execute all the tactics we had practised ahead of the Games. As a coach, Sahil has made me extremely proud,” he said.

“Sahil had worked hard during practice. That is why he was able to turn his sweat and hard work into gold medals.”

The Indian compound men’s team of Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Kushal Dalal and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru beat China 238-237 in the final to win gold, a short while after Sahil teamed up with Chikitha Taniparthi to win the mixed team title by beating South Korea in a shoot-off. Earlier on Wednesday, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep beat China 238-234 in the final of the women’s compound team event, with their score equalling the world record. 

Opening up on the process behind the success, coach Kumar recounted the hard work put in by the archers over the last few months, which included all-weather training in India and an acclimatisation camp in Korube City, Japan, that helped make them match-ready.

“We have trained in all weather conditions. We trained at Shillaru in Himachal Pradesh in cold and rainy conditions. Then we trained at SAI Sonipat, where it was extremely hot. We reached Japan around 10–15 days before the Asian Games and trained in extremely windy conditions. It is all due to Sahil’s efforts that he was able to convert his hard work into gold medals,” he added.