Asian Para Games 2026: Sheetal Devi and Swati Chaudhary Storm into Finals as India Targets Para Archery Gold

India’s para archers delivered a series of significant performances at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, with Sheetal Devi and Swati Chaudhary advancing to their respective finals. 

Sheetal defeated Japan’s Aya Shinohara 145-137 in the women’s compound individual semifinal, while Swati secured a 6-2 victory over South Korea’s Lee Eunhee in the women’s W1 semifinal. The results put both Indian archers within reach of gold medals and added to a campaign that has already produced a world-record performance from Sheetal. The compound specialist has been one of the standout performers in Nagoya, breaking the seven-year-old world record in the elimination rounds after equalling the record during qualification.

India also had mixed fortunes elsewhere in the knockout stages. Toman Kumar lost 144-149 to China’s Ai Xinliang in the men’s compound semifinal and will now compete for bronze.

Sheetal’s progression to the women’s compound final followed another composed performance in the semifinals. Facing Japan’s Aya Shinohara, she produced a score of 145 to win by eight points and secure her place in the gold-medal match.

The victory continued an impressive run for the Indian archer, who had already defeated Agustina Bantiloc of the Philippines 147-135 in the quarterfinals. Sheetal maintained her momentum through the knockout stages, converting her strong qualification form into victories against successive opponents.

Her performance in the earlier elimination rounds had attracted particular attention after she shot 149 in the pre-quarterfinals against Hong Kong’s Chan Yuen Wah. That score surpassed the previous world record of 148, which had stood for seven years.

Sheetal’s 149 came a day after she equalled the world record during qualification, making the elimination-round performance another milestone in her career. The record-breaking score highlighted her precision and consistency in the compound discipline.

The quarterfinal against Bantiloc required Sheetal to maintain that standard under knockout pressure. She finished with 147 points against the Filipino archer’s 135 before advancing to the semifinal, where she defeated Shinohara 145-137.

With the semifinal victory, Sheetal secured a place in the final and an opportunity to convert her record-breaking campaign into an Asian Para Games gold medal.

Swati Chaudhary Reaches the W1 Final

Swati Chaudhary also secured a place in the final after defeating South Korea’s Lee Eunhee 6-2 in the women’s W1 semifinal. Her progression added another opportunity for India to compete for a gold medal in para archery. Swati had received a bye into the semifinals, according to the competition updates, before overcoming Lee to advance to the title match.

The result was an important success for the Indian contingent in a competition that has featured both strong performances and disappointing exits. With Swati through to the final alongside Sheetal, India has two archers positioned to challenge for gold in separate categories.

The W1 event features athletes with impairments affecting coordination, strength or range of movement and requires competitors to demonstrate accuracy and consistency under pressure. Swati’s 6-2 win ensured that she progressed from the semifinal and remained in contention for the title.

India’s Toman Kumar narrowly missed out on a place in the men’s compound final, losing 144-149 to China’s Ai Xinliang in the semifinal. Toman had reached the last four after an especially close quarterfinal against Chinese Taipei’s Yang Jyun-kai. The match finished 143-143, forcing a shoot-off in which Toman prevailed with an X-10 result to advance.

That victory had placed the Indian archer within one win of the final, but Ai produced the higher score in the semifinal to secure his own place in the gold-medal match. Toman will now compete for bronze, giving India another opportunity to add to its medal tally.

His quarterfinal performance had demonstrated his ability to handle pressure in a tied contest, although the semifinal presented a tougher challenge against the Chinese archer. Despite Sheetal and Swati reaching their respective finals, India experienced several setbacks in the knockout rounds.

Payal Nag and Shyam Sundar Swami exited in the compound quarterfinals. Bhawna was eliminated in the recurve quarterfinals, while two-time Paralympic medallist Harvinder Singh also failed to progress beyond the last eight. Adil Mohamed Nazir was another Indian archer to exit at the quarterfinal stage in the W1 competition.

These results left Sheetal and Toman as India’s compound semifinalists, while Swati advanced directly to the W1 semifinals before securing her place in the final.

The contrast between the successful runs and early exits underlined the challenges of knockout archery, where a few points can determine whether an athlete advances or sees their medal hopes end.

Sheetal’s world-record-breaking performance has been a major highlight of India’s para archery campaign at the Asian Para Games 2026. Her 149-point elimination-round score, followed by victories in the quarterfinal and semifinal, has given her a chance to complete the campaign with a gold medal.

Swati’s progression in the W1 category provides India with a second finalist, while Toman’s bronze-medal match offers another opportunity for a podium finish. With two Indian archers reaching gold-medal matches, India’s para archery contingent remains in contention for further success in Aichi-Nagoya. Sheetal’s record-breaking form has already made the competition memorable, but the final results will determine how many medals India ultimately secures from these events.