New Delhi: Teenage archery sensations Kumkum Anil Mohod and Sahil Rajesh Jadhav watched international archers like Brady Ellison and learned valuable lessons that helped them top established names in the selection trials for the Asian Games.
The new-look archery team will compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan, with eight archers from the Archery Premier League (APL) making the cut. The APL gave Indian archers exposure to elite competition in a faster format, with shooting times reduced to 15 seconds.
The women's recurve team comprises Kumkum, Paris Olympian Ankita Bhakat, and Kirti Sharma, while the compound women's team features Taniparthi Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep alongside world champion Jyothi Surekha.
Earlier this month, Deepika Kumari, Ankita, and Kumkum upset South Korea and China to win the Shanghai World Cup, but Deepika failed to qualify for the Asian Games.
Kumkum's coach, Prafull Dange, said the faster shooting time helped top international archers adapt to the format, and that the experience was invaluable for Indian players.
Compound archer Sahil Rajesh, who won individual gold at the World University Games in Germany, has made the cut for the Asian Games alongside Kushal Dalal and Ganesh Thirumuru.
