The Telangana-born archer first struck gold in the women’s compound team event alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep, before teaming up with Sahil Jadhav to win the mixed team title.
The mixed team triumph came after India defeated South Korea in a tense shoot-off, with Chikitha and Jadhav producing 10s to seal the gold. The victory also secured India a men’s and women’s quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where compound archery will make its Olympic debut.
But behind Chikitha’s double-gold achievement is the story of her father, Srinivasa Rao, a farmer from Sultanpur village in Telangana’s Peddapalli district.
Rao made significant financial sacrifices to support his daughter’s sporting ambitions. The family took loans and eventually sold their rice harvester to help fund the purchase of proper archery equipment and cover training expenses.
Chikitha’s journey into archery began after her father encouraged her to pursue an individual sport. She had initially been interested in karate and eventually earned a black belt, but her father’s encouragement led her towards archery.
The family travelled in search of proper coaching before Chikitha eventually came under the guidance of renowned Indian compound archer Abhishek Verma and later trained at the Sports Authority of India centre in Sonepat.
Her breakthrough came in 2025 when she won the women’s Under-21 individual compound title at the World Archery Youth Championships, becoming the first Indian woman to win that crown.
At the Asian Games, that progression reached another level.
Chikitha topped the individual qualification standings with 705 points before helping India secure the women’s team gold. She then partnered Jadhav to another gold in the mixed team competition, completing a memorable two-title debut.
Her father’s sacrifices have now been rewarded on one of the biggest stages in Asian sport, with Chikitha emerging as one of the central figures in India’s successful compound archery campaign.