Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated India’s history-making athletes after the country secured gold medals in mixed trap shooting and women’s compound archery at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, with both victories producing record-equalling or record-breaking performances.
Shooting duo Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai won India’s first-ever Asian Games gold in the Trap Mixed Team event, while Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi retained the women’s compound team gold with a world-record-equalling score of 238.
Neeru and Kynan create Asian Games record
Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai produced a score of 34 in the Trap Mixed Team final to clinch the gold medal and set a new Asian Games record. They surpassed the previous record of 30, set by Qatar earlier this year.
Qatar took the silver with 32 points, while China secured bronze with 23.
The victory marked India’s first-ever gold medal in the Trap Mixed Team event at the Asian Games.
The achievement added to Neeru’s remarkable campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. She had earlier won the women’s individual trap gold, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting.
On her Games debut, Neeru had also set an Asian record in the qualification round, missing only two shots out of 30 to finish with 28.
She had earlier won a silver medal in the women’s trap team event alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. India scored 328 points to finish behind gold medallists China, who recorded 346, while Kuwait took bronze with 325. Neeru was India’s top performer in that event, scoring 118 out of 125.
PM Modi described Neeru and Kynan’s mixed-team victory as a “memorable achievement for Indian shooting.”
“Congratulations to Neeru and Kynan Chenai on bringing home the Gold in the Trap Mixed Team event at the 2026 Asian Games. The Indian pair created an Asian Record in the Final to secure India’s first-ever Asian Games Gold in this event. A memorable achievement for Indian shooting. Well done to both athletes! May they always shine in the times to come,” PMO India said in a post on X.
Women’s compound archery team equals world record
In the women’s compound team event, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi defeated China 238-234 in the final at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.
Their score of 238 equalled the world record set by South Korea at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
The Indian trio had defeated South Korea in the semifinal before overcoming China in the gold-medal contest.
India established an early advantage, leading 30-28 after the opening end. The Indian team extended its lead to three points after the second end, taking a 119-116 advantage.
China narrowed the gap at stages of the third end, but India maintained its advantage and entered the final end with a 178-175 lead.
China continued to apply pressure in the final end, but the Indian trio responded with a perfect sequence of 10s to finish on 238 and secure the gold medal.
Prithika and Jyothi remained particularly consistent throughout the contest, repeatedly hitting 10s, while Chikitha also made crucial contributions as India successfully defended its title.
PM Modi congratulates archers
Congratulating the three archers, Prime Minister Modi said their achievement was particularly significant because their score also equalled the world record.
“A Gold for India! Congratulations to Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi on winning the Gold Medal in the Women’s Compound Team event at the Asian Games 2026. This is even more special because their performance also equalled the World Record. This is a tremendous achievement for our archers. Best wishes to the entire team for their future endeavours,” said PM Modi.
The two gold medals added to India’s strong showing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the performances in shooting and archery combining individual milestones, team success and record-setting achievements.
(With agency inputs)
