India’s first home leg of the Hyundai World Archery Para Series moved into its elimination phase in Ahmedabad on Monday, September 7, with the host contingent already turning qualification form into medal opportunities. By late afternoon, at least six Indian archers had booked places in individual medal matches, while seven Indian teams had also reached gold or bronze contests. Sheetal Devi leads the charge after entering the compound women’s final, with Sarita, Toman Kumar, Swati Chaudhary, Rajshri Dhanraj Rathod and Bhawna also set for individual medal action. The competition is being held at the Sabarmati Riverfront from September 5 to 9.
How Many Indian Archers Have Reached Medal Matches So Far?
The clearest answer is six in the individual events as of the latest published schedule, with more medal possibilities still linked to the visually impaired section. India also has seven team medal matches across recurve, compound and W1 categories.
Key Highlights:
- Sheetal Devi will shoot for compound women’s gold against Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan.
- Sarita will face China’s Wang Huiting in the compound women’s bronze match.
- Toman Kumar has a compound men’s bronze match against Iraq’s Abbas Kadhim.
- Swati Chaudhary will contest the W1 women’s bronze medal.
- Rajshri Dhanraj Rathod and Bhawna meet in an all-Indian recurve women’s bronze match.
- India has reached seven team medal matches, including five gold-medal contests.
The official Ahmedabad event schedule confirms India in the recurve women’s doubles gold match against China, recurve men’s doubles gold against Slovakia, compound men’s doubles gold against Iraq and W1 mixed-team gold against Czechia. India will also shoot the recurve mixed-team gold final against China, while the compound women’s doubles and compound mixed team have bronze matches.
That is a sizeable home presence for a competition featuring 109 para archers from 19 countries. World Archery’s official event preview noted that Ahmedabad is hosting India’s first international para archery event and that ranking points are also on offer before the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games.
Sheetal Devi Turns Qualification Form Into A Gold-Medal Shot
Sheetal arrived in the eliminations carrying the strongest Indian storyline. She topped compound women’s qualification with 698, a season-best score that also improved her own Asian record by one point. Her round included 25 tens and 26 Xs, leaving her 10 points clear of the field.
There was another headline alongside it. Sheetal and Rakesh Kumar combined for 1,400 points in compound mixed-team qualification, improving their previous world record of 1,399 set at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Rakesh also shot a career-best 702 in the men’s event, finishing only two points behind Indonesia’s Ken Swagumilang.
Sheetal then defeated fellow Indian Sarita 145-143 in the compound women’s semifinal to reach Wednesday’s gold-medal match. Sarita did not leave the field empty-handed in terms of opportunity, because she now moves into the bronze contest against Wang Huiting. The government-run Akashvani News update also confirmed both medal fixtures.
The result gives India a guaranteed medal in women’s compound and a chance at two. It also keeps attention on Sheetal ahead of the Asian Para Games, where she is due to defend her individual and mixed-team titles.
India’s Depth Shows Up Beyond The Headline Names
The eliminations have also shown that the home challenge is not being carried by one archer. Toman Kumar, the reigning world champion and world number one in compound men, reached the semifinal before losing 146-144 to top seed Ken Swagumilang. He now meets Iraq’s Abbas Kadhim for bronze.
In W1 women, second-seeded Swati Chaudhary lost her semifinal to China’s Liu Jing and will shoot against Elena Krutova for bronze on September 8. The recurve women’s bracket produced an unusual home duel as Rajshri Dhanraj Rathod and Bhawna both landed in the bronze-medal match, guaranteeing India another podium finish there.
India’s team results have been even broader. The latest official schedule lists gold-medal appearances in men’s recurve doubles, women’s recurve doubles, men’s compound doubles, W1 mixed team and recurve mixed team. The compound women’s doubles and compound mixed team are in bronze matches.
One detail worth watching is the contrast between India’s recurve and compound results. The recurve men missed individual medals, but the doubles and mixed-team routes stayed alive. In compound, Sheetal and Toman converted strong qualification positions into individual medal matches, while the doubles line-ups kept India present in Tuesday’s finals.
This stage is also useful beyond medals. The Ahmedabad event is the third stop of the new 2026 World Archery Para Series, after Bangkok and Nove Mesto, with Santiago due to host Stage 4 in October. India’s 29-member squad had trained at SAI’s National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar before the competition, according to the Press Information Bureau.
What Comes Next In Ahmedabad?
Team finals are scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, followed by the main individual finals on Wednesday, September 9. World Archery has said the finals will be available through Archery+, while live scores remain available through the official event system.
For India, the medal picture is already busy: six individual archers are confirmed in medal matches and seven team combinations have reached medal contests. The final number could still change around the visually impaired competition, where India had already secured at least two medals after Yugal Garg, Pawan Kumar and Tanvi Ingale reached the semifinals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Indian archers have reached individual medal matches?
Six Indian archers are confirmed in individual medal matches based on the latest published schedule.
Who will Sheetal Devi face in the gold final?
Sheetal Devi will face Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan in the compound women’s gold-medal match on Wednesday.
Which Indian archer is in the compound men’s bronze match?
The World Archery Para Series team finals are scheduled in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, September 8.
When are the team finals in Ahmedabad?
The World Archery Para Series team finals are scheduled in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, September 8.
Where is the Ahmedabad Para Archery World Series being held?
The third World Archery Para Series stage is being held at Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Riverfront venue.
