New Delhi: Teenage archery sensation Kumkum Anil Mohod watched five-time Olympic medallist Brady Ellison meditate before his matches in the Archery Premier League, a competition that brought top international archers to play alongside Indians in an innovative format here last October.
In the same competition, compound archer Sahil Rajesh Jadhav observed how the world’s best archers detached themselves from the atmosphere, the crowd and the pressure of tense moments to keep their focus on the target. These were valuable lessons for the youngsters, who recently toppled established names in the selection trials to make the Indian team for the Asian Games.
It is a new-look archery team that will compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan. The APL gave Indian archers exposure to elite competition in a faster format. The shooting time in the APL was reduced to 15 seconds from the standard 20 seconds, significantly changing how archers approached their shots.
Of the 12 archers selected after two phases of trials, eight were part of the APL. In the compound women’s team, Taniparthi Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep are new faces alongside world champion Jyothi Surekha. The women’s recurve team comprises Kumkum, Paris Olympian Ankita Bhakat and Kirti Sharma.
Earlier this month, the trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita and Kumkum upset formidable South Korea before defeating hosts China to win the Shanghai World Cup. However, on her return, three-time Olympian Deepika failed to qualify for the Asian Games.
“One of the things I learned during the APL was fast shooting because the clock was set to 15 seconds. Being with so many world-class players helped me understand how they approach matches. I also got a chance to train with the visiting foreign players and compete in front of a crowd. The victory over South Korea gave me more belief in my abilities,” Kumkum told HT.
Kumkum’s coach, Prafull Dange, gave a glimpse into the mindset of the archer from Amravati, Maharashtra.
“We saw that Brady Ellison would sit and meditate before the match started. He focused on his breathing. We even recorded a video of how he prepares,” said Dange.
With the faster shooting time, top international archers were quick to adapt to the format. “A lot of times your mind is cluttered with unnecessary thoughts, so you take more time to release the shot and that’s where archers mess up. These top archers are strong in decision-making. They complete the process and shoot with confidence. It was a great experience for our players to interact with these top archers,” said Dange.
Compound archer Sahil Rajesh had a fantastic 2025. He became the first Indian archer to win an individual gold medal at the World University Games in Germany. He also won team silver at the Universiade and Asian Championships. Now, he has made the cut for the Asian Games alongside two fresh faces: Kushal Dalal, his partner on the podium in Germany, and Ganesh Thirumuru. Kushal and Ganesh were both members of India’s compound under-21 gold medal-winning team at Winnipeg 2025.
In the selection trials, the trio finished ahead of big names such as 2023 world champion Ojas Deotale and Rishabh Yadav, who was in great form in international meets last year. The task will be cut out for the trio as India’s compound archers produced a historic clean sweep by winning all five gold medals on offer at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
“We cannot better their performance, so the challenge before us is to repeat that feat. We will give our best. There is no pressure on us,” said Sahil Rajesh, who hails from Satara, Maharashtra.
Sahil has been competing since 2017 but has had plenty of ups and downs. “There were times when I missed India selection by a whisker. Those tough phases taught me a lot. They made me more disciplined and focused, and that’s why I think I am getting results now.”
In the APL, he was part of the Chero Archers team. “You learn a lot just by watching — especially how to handle pressure in big matches. There is something to learn from every match and every situation.”
