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After clinching Gold for India in the women's compound archery team event at the Asian Games 2026, young archer Prithika Pradeep credited her teammates' support, belief in her shots and constant communication for the historic triumph.
Prithika, who won the Gold medal alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi, said she did not let age become a factor and focused on trusting her ability during the competition. "I feel very good that we were able to win this Gold medal. I won it along with my teammates. I didn't think too much about age. I just trusted my shots and had belief in my teammates. That's all," Prithika told ANI after the victory. Recalling her journey in archery, Prithika said she started the sport in the fourth standard after discovering it through her school's hobby club. "I started archery when I was in the fourth standard, in my school. In our school, we had hobby clubs. A list of available activities was provided for us to choose from. I found the name interesting and asked my mother what it was. She told me it was bow and arrow. I said, 'Okay, let me join and see what happens.' And thats how it started," she said. Prithika said her journey involved several challenges, including shifting from recurve to compound archery after struggling to reach the required distance with the former. "Initially, my performance wasn't great and the grouping was loose, but my coach had immense faith in me. He kept encouraging me, saying that one day I would achieve great things. At the time, I wondered how he could say that when my performance was average, but now I understand. It is the combined hard work of my parents, my coach, and myself," she added. Talking about the Gold medal-winning performance, Prithika said the trio focused on communication and handling changing wind conditions during the match. "Since the wind was affecting our shots, each of us would inform the next shooter about how the wind was behaving and where we aimed. We kept reminding each other of our cue words, stayed focused on ourselves rather than the opponents, trusted our abilities, and maintained good communication throughout. That is what helped us win the Gold medal," she said. Indian archers were absolutely clinical in the title clash against China, beating them 238-234. India maintained their lead right from the first round, giving Jyothi her fourth Asian Games Gold and a first Asiad Gold medal to Chikitha and Prithika on their debuts. This is India's seventh Gold at the Asian Games and takes the tally to 53 medals, including 21 silvers and 25 bronze medals. They equalled South Korea's world record of 238, set in 2014, to secure the Gold. (ANI)
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