Asian Games 2026: Deepika, Atanu miss out as India announces archery squad | Asian Games 2023

India’s archery squad for the 2026 Asian Games has been finalised after selection trials at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI’s) National Centre of Excellence in Sonipat, with several established names missing out.

Olympians Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das narrowly failed to secure places in the recurve category after finishing outside the top three.

In compound, former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale, Abhishek Verma and Rishabh Yadav were also left out.

India’s squad for Asian Games 2026

The final squads were selected based on the top-three finishers in each category during the trials in Sonipat.

Compound

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  Men: Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Kushal Dalal, Ganesh Thiru Muru
• 
  Women: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Taniparthi Chikitha, Prithika Pradeep

Recurve

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  Men: B. Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge
• 
  Women: Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Ankita Bhakat

Top performers in 2026 trials

Sahil Rajesh Jadhav topped the men’s compound standings, while Kushal Dalal and Ganesh Thiru Muru completed the line-up. In the women’s compound section, Jyothi Surekha Vennam once again finished on top, with Taniparthi Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep sealing the remaining places.

B. Dhiraj and Kirti Sharma emerged as the top performers in the men’s and women’s recurve categories, respectively. Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, however, narrowly missed qualification after finishing just outside the top three.

How Indian archers performed at Asian Games 2023

India enjoyed its best-ever archery campaign at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where a 16-member contingent returned with nine medals. The archery events were held at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre, featuring medal contests in both recurve and compound categories across individual, team and mixed-team events.

Indian compound archers dominated the competition, sweeping all five gold medals available in their discipline. Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale were the standout performers, winning the women’s and men’s individual compound gold medals, respectively. Jyothi and Ojas also played central roles in India’s team and mixed-team triumphs, with both ending the campaign with three gold medals each.

India’s recurve contingent also contributed to the medal tally. The men’s recurve team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Atanu Das and Tushar Shelke secured silver, while Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur claimed bronze in the women’s team event.

2023 medal winners who will miss the 2026 Asian Games

Several archers who contributed to India’s record haul in Hangzhou have not made the 2026 squad.

In compound, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Abhishek Verma — both medal winners in 2023 — failed to qualify after missing the top three in the men’s trials. Ojas had won individual gold and was part of the men’s team and mixed-team gold-winning combinations, while Abhishek had claimed individual silver and team gold.

In recurve, Atanu Das also misses out after narrowly falling short in selection. He had been part of India’s silver medal-winning men’s recurve team at the 2023 Games.

Deepika Kumari, although not among India’s 2023 Asian Games medal winners, was another high-profile exclusion from the 2026 squad after finishing outside the qualification spots in women’s recurve.

Despite these omissions, India retains some proven performers from Hangzhou, with Jyothi Surekha Vennam, B. Dhiraj and Ankita Bhakat among those returning for another Asian Games campaign.