Indian sports wrap, March 27: Compound mixed team strikes gold, women settle for silver at 2026 Asia Cup; Asian Games camps start for various sports

ARCHERY

India’s Asia Cup archery medal tally up to four after compound success

India’s compound archers dished out a strong show, clinching the mixed team gold and women’s team silver at the Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament Stage 1 to take their tally to four medals on Friday.

With this, India’s overall tally stands at one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, with the earlier medals coming from the women’s recurve team and the men’s compound team on Wednesday.

The Indian contingent is also assured of four more medals, with entries in three finals later in the day—the women’s recurve individual (Ridhi Phor), the men’s recurve team, and the men’s compound individual, which will feature an all-Indian summit clash.

The highlight of the morning session was the top-seeded compound mixed team pair of Chikitha Taniparthi and Rajat Chauhan, who held their nerve to edge past second-seeded Malaysia 158-156 in a tense gold-medal clash.

In a contest defined by precision and composure, the difference boiled down to narrow margins as India dropped just two points across 16 arrows, while Malaysia dropped four.

The Indian duo got off to a perfect start with four consecutive 10s and maintained their rhythm despite minor lapses in the middle phase. After three ends, they held a slender one-point lead at 118-117.

The Malaysian pair of Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh and Mohd Juwaidi Mazuki had briefly seized momentum in the third end, shooting a perfect 40 while India managed 39.

However, in the decisive final end, Chikitha and Rajat showcased their experience under pressure, firing four successive 10s to close out the match.

Malaysia could only manage 39, handing India a two-point victory.

This gold also marked a significant turnaround after India had returned empty-handed in the mixed team event in the previous edition.

Later, the Indian women’s compound team comprising Chikitha, Raj Kaur, and Tejal Salve settled for silver after going down 227-229 to Kazakhstan’s Viktoriya Lyan, Diana Yunussova, and Roxana Yunussova in the final.

Despite the loss, it was an improvement from their bronze medal finish in the last edition.

India started strongly and led 115-113 at the halfway stage after 12 arrows.

However, a below-par third end saw them shoot 54, while Kazakhstan produced a decisive 58 to overturn the deficit and take a 171-169 lead.

The fourth and final end was evenly matched and locked at 58-58. Kazakhstan’s third-end advantage proved decisive as India had to settle for silver.

-Press Trust of India

ROWING

Indian women’s rowing camp for Asian Games begins in Gorakhpur

A national rowing camp for women commenced in Gorakhpur on Friday to further strengthen the team’s preparations for the Asian Games in Japan later this year.

The camp at the Water Sports Complex at Ramgarh Lake is being organised by the Sports Authority of India at the request of the Rowing Federation of India. It aims to train rowers for the continental showpiece scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.

Sudhir Sharma, vice president of the Rowing Federation of India and secretary of the UP Rowing Association, informed that the selected players and coaches have already arrived.

The rowing competitions at the Asian Games will be held from September 20 to 25 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course in Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture.

Sharma added that the selected athletes will undergo training in single sculls, double sculls, pairs, and fours during the 51-day camp being organised in Uttar Pradesh for the first time.

Meanwhile, the men’s rowing camp is already underway at the Army Node in Pune.

Ramgarh Lake has been developed in accordance with international standards, and its calm water conditions are expected to help enhance the athletes’ technique, said the official.

-PTI

KABADDI

AKFI and Mashal Sports roll out elite strength & conditioning camp in preparation for Asian Games

The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), in collaboration with Mashal Sports, will commence a high-performance Strength & Conditioning Camp at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Bellary, bringing together the country’s leading men’s and women’s probable kabaddi athletes for the Asian Games 2026.

The camp, scheduled from March 27 to April 2, marks a significant step in strengthening India’s kabaddi ecosystem, with a focused approach towards athlete development, fitness optimisation, and long-term performance excellence.

Mr. Vibhor Vineet Jain, president of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), said, “This initiative is an important step in our preparations as we continue to raise the standard of kabaddi in India. By collaborating with Mashal Sports, we are ensuring that our players benefit from modern training methodologies, scientific support systems, and a professional high-performance environment that is essential for success at the international level.”

Several prominent Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) stars – Naveen Kumar, Arjun Deshwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar, Sunil Kumar, Ashu Malik, and Bharat Hooda – are part of the camp.

From the women’s contingent, leading athletes include members of the Indian squad that won the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup, such as skipper Ritu Negi, as well as Sonali Vishnu Shingate, Pushpa Rana, Champa Thakur, Pinki Roy, Priya, and Karthika R.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Mar 27, 2026