Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally: How archers, shooters powered India into top 10

Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai won gold in the mixed team trap event (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: India moved up to eighth place in the Asian Games medal standings after reaching the 10-gold mark on Wednesday, with a golden sweep by the compound archers and another gold in shooting powering a big jump in the table.India now have 60 medals – 10 gold, 21 silver and 29 bronze.The compound archers won gold in all three team events, while Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai added another gold in the mixed team trap event. Three boxing bronzes and Sunil Kumar’s wrestling bronze also contributed to India’s tally.

India move to eighth

India’s 10 gold medals have lifted them to eighth in the standings, with Bahrain seventh on 11 golds. India have 60 medals overall, while Kazakhstan are ninth with 56 medals, including nine golds.China continue to lead the table with 275 medals – 150 gold, 66 silver and 59 bronze. Japan are second with 199 medals, while South Korea are third with 102.

Compound archers complete golden sweep

The compound archers were the stars of the day, winning gold in the men’s, women’s and mixed team events.Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep started the gold rush by winning the women’s team title. They defeated China’s Wunier, Yue Wang and Fangyao Wei 238-234. The Indian trio matched the world record with their score as they successfully defended their Asian Games title.Chikitha and Sahil Jadhav then won the mixed team gold after a thrilling final against South Korea’s Jungyoon Park and Choi Eun Gyu. The Indian pair won 158-157 after a shoot-off.Kushal Dalal, Sahil and Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru completed the sweep by beating China’s Jiahao Liao, Jinyi Liu and Jingyu Shi 238-237 in the men’s team final.Chikitha and Sahil finished the day with two gold medals. The mixed team victory also secured an Olympic quota for India. India became the first country to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics compound mixed team event, which will make its Olympic debut.

Neeru and Kynan add another gold

At the shooting range, Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai recovered from a difficult start to win gold in the mixed team trap event.The Indian pair finished with a score of 34, setting an Asian and Games record. It was Neeru’s second gold of the Games after she had earlier won the individual trap title. She had also helped India win silver in the women’s team trap event.With two golds and a silver, Neeru has become the most successful Indian athlete at the ongoing Games.The four gold medals on Wednesday took India’s gold tally to 10 and helped the country climb two places to eighth in the overall standings.