Telangana’s Chikitha turns father’s archery dream into Asian Games gold

Telangana’s Chikitha Taniparthi won two gold medals on her Asian Games debut after her father steered her from karate to archery. From buying equipment through loans to seeking coaching in Delhi, his determination helped shape the 21-year-old’s remarkable sporting journey

Nagoya: The two gold medals that young compound archer Chikitha Taniparthi collected on her Asian Games debut have not just announced her arrival on the big stage but also vindicated a choice that her sports-loving father made for her when she was a school-going child more interested in pursuing karate.

The 21-year-old from Sultanpur village in Telangana’s Peddapalli district clinched the women’s team gold alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep before combining with Sahil Jadhav for the mixed team gold.

“I didn’t get into archery on my own. It was my father’s choice. He wanted me to play sport because he couldn’t play any sport. When I was small, he used to take us to playgrounds. Every day we used to play some games,” she recalled after what can be described as a smashing debut.

“In school, from sixth grade till eighth grade, I was doing karate. I got my first black belt also,” said the youngster.

Her first bow was a toy gifted by her uncle on Dussehra. It intrigued her, and she enjoyed playing with it, shooting arrows at a target she created in her backyard.

“There was a Dussehra holiday, my father’s younger brother, who lives in Hyderabad, bought a recurve Decathlon bow. I tried it just for fun. We used to shoot just for fun at that time,” she recalled.

Once he realised that Chikitha had potential, her father, Srinvasa Rao, took a loan to buy her upgraded equipment that could help develop her skills. She started pursuing archery more seriously in 2018 and was picked for the junior camp in 2021.

Rao eventually also sold the family’s rice harvester to fund her archery training.

He took her to a nearby town to train with a local archer and built makeshift targets at home. After losing Rs 1.5 lakh in a fraud while trying to buy her first compound bow, he took another Rs 3.5 lakh loan for new equipment.

Her performances later earned her a government-funded bow from the district Collector.

The family then moved their search for better training to Delhi, where legendary compound archer Abhishek Verma mentored her before she was selected for the SAI Centre in Sonepat.

“She would shoot about 300 arrows per day in two sessions and would come to training half an hour in advance before the 6.30 am assembly even in sheer cold,” SAI coach Vivek Kumar told PTI.

Chikitha’s father was always keen on her playing an individual sport, as both the credit and blame are individual. His resolve was strengthened when he saw Hyderabad-based Saina Nehwal become India’s first Olympic medallist in badminton.

“After Saina Nehwal won an Olympic medal, he decided that I should play another sport (archery instead of karate),” she revealed.

Her father might have decided the course of her sporting life, but Chikitha said her native place did not have the requisite facilities to pursue archery.

“At that time, I was in school. We didn’t know much about anything. Then I messaged Abhishek Verma sir’s wife. Ma’am told me to come. Then we went there and I trained for five days. I was selected to train in Sonipat.

“From that time to now, he (Abhishek Verma) is supporting me, helping me, teaching me. He is my inspiration.”

Chikitha became world youth champion last year. She also won team silver in the World Cup in 2025 and this year. On Wednesday, in the mixed final against Korea, Chikitha and Sahil survived a tense shoot-off to finish on top.

Asked what she does to remain calm, the youngster said, “I do meditation and breathing exercises regularly, twice a day. I trust my process and follow it for a long time.”

The two gold medals also eased the pressure she had built on herself over the past few months.

“Personally, I have been struggling this past year, facing some difficulties. After becoming world champion last year, it became very difficult for me to perform at the same level. I was struggling with my shooting aim.

“I went to the Asia Cup and won two medals, and after that I worked really hard and I got back to the first team. I just concentrated and said, ‘You have to do it for yourself and give it 100’,” she said.