Karate black belt to archery gold: How sports-tragic father steered Chikitha’s sports choice
Chikitha Taniparthi, a 21-year-old archer from Telangana, recently won two gold medals at the Asian Games. Her success follows a transition from karate to archery, a path encouraged by her father who invested in her training despite financial challenges.
Why it matters
The story highlights the role of parental support and early sports specialization in the success of emerging athletes.
The two gold medals that young compound archer Chikitha Taniparthi collected in her Asian Games debut have not just announced her arrival on the big stage but also vindicated a choice that her sports-tragic father made for her when she was a school-going child, more interested in pursuing karate.
The 21-year-old from Telangana's Sultanpur village in Peddapalli district clinched the women's team gold alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep before combing with Sahil Jadhav for the mixed team top honours.
(From left) India's Prithika Pradeep, Chikitha Taniparthi and Jyothi Surekha Vennam who won gold, pose for photographs after the compound women's team archery event at the 20th Asian Games, in Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) | Photo Credit: ARUN SHARMA
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