SportsPosted at: Oct 6 2026 5:29PM


Five young Asian Games medalists ready to make their mark in APL Season 2

Hyderabad, Oct 6 (UNI) India's young archery stars return from a historic Asian Games campaign with medals, milestones and growing international recognition. Their performances have underlined the depth of talent emerging across both recurve and compound disciplines, with several of these young archers now stepping into bigger roles for India.

The next challenge comes quickly, with the Archery Premier League Season 2 beginning in Hyderabad on October 8. The league will bring together India's leading young talents and established international names, with its 15-second shooting format adding another layer
of speed, pressure and decision-making. For some of these medalists, it will be a return to
a familiar stage; for others, it will be their first taste of the APL environment.
A historic Asian Games gold has added another chapter to Kumkum Mohod's remarkable rise. The 17-year-old became the first Indian recurve archer to win an individual gold in Asian Games history and was part of the Indian women's recurve team that ended South Korea's 28-year dominance in the event, alongside Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma.
Behind the medal is a family that has built its dreams around archery, her father Anil makes cardboard boxes for sweet shops in Amravati to support the family, while Kumkum continues to compete with a five-year-old second-hand bow.
Her rise has already included World Cup golds in Shanghai and Antalya. A Season 1 player, she returns with Chero Archers for APL Season 2 in Hyderabad. Asian Games medals: Gold –
Women's Individual Recurve Gold; Women's Recurve Team; Silver – Mixed Recurve Team.
Kirti Sharma's Asian Games gold marked a remarkable turnaround for an archer who was once told she was too thin to hold a bow. The Haryana youngster joined Ankita Bhakat and Kumkum Mohod to end South Korea's 28-year dominance in the women's recurve team event.
Her father, a small farmer, took a ₹60,000 loan to buy her a recurve bow, while Kirti later moved nearly 1,350 kilometres from home to train in Hazaribagh. After reaching the World Cup Stage 4 semifinals in Madrid, Kirti now makes her APL debut with Prithviraaj Yodhas in Hyderabad.
Asian Games medal: Gold – Women's Recurve Team.

Prithika Pradeep's Asian Games gold is another milestone in a rapid rise from junior competition to the senior international stage. The 18-year-old was part of India's women's compound team that won gold and has already collected two medals at World Cup Stage 4 in Madrid — individual bronze and team silver. She also won gold and silver at the 2025 Asian Archery Championships.
Having experienced the inaugural APL season, Prithika returns with Chero Archers for Season 2 in Hyderabad, bringing valuable experience of the league's 15-second format. Asian Games medal: Gold – Women's Compound Team.
Chikitha Taniparthi (21) Two Asian Games gold medals have taken Chikitha Taniparthi's young career to another level. She won women's compound team gold before combining with Sahil Jadhav to win the mixed-team title, securing India's LA28 quota place in the compound mixed team event.
Her journey has been powered by sacrifices at home, with her father Srinivas Rao, a farmer from Telangana, selling the family's harvester to fund her training, travel and equipment. A world youth champion and Season 1 APL player, Chikitha returns with Chola Chiefs for Season 2 in Hyderabad. Asian Games medals: Gold – Women's Compound Team; Gold – Mixed Compound Team.
Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru (20) Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru returned from the Asian Games with two medals, winning men's compound team gold with Sahil Jadhav and Kushal Dalal before adding an individual bronze. The 20-year-old has been building towards this senior breakthrough since his junior years, winning individual and team gold at the 2024 Asian Youth Championships and becoming a junior world champion in 2025.
He will now make his APL debut with Prithviraaj Yodhas in Hyderabad, taking on the league's unique 15-second format for the first time. Asian Games medals: Gold – Men's Compound
Team; Bronze – Individual Compound.
UNI BM
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