Debutant Swati Chaudhary has created history by winning India’s first-ever medal in Women’s W1 Archery at the Asian Para Games, winning silver after going down down 4-6 to China’s Cen Mengkan
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Swati Chaudhary in action at the Asian Para Games 2026(Photo: Special arrangement)
Indian para archer Swati Chaudhary clinched silver medal in the women’s W1 individual recurve archery event at the Asian Para Games after losing 4-6 to China’s Cen Mengkan in the final on ThursdaySwati becomes the first from the nation to claim a medal in this particular event at the games.
The top-seeded Indian had a 4-2 lead but could not hold on as Mengkan produced a strong finish to win her maiden Asian Para Games gold medalThe Chinese archer, ranked world No23, won the final with set scores of 17-25, 22-21, 21-22, 30-20 and 28-21.
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Swati made a good start, taking the opening set 25-17 after Mengkan missed the target with one of her arrowsThe Indian earned two set points to take an early 2-0 lead in the match.
However, Mengkan fought back in the second setSwati struggled to maintain her accuracy and scored five and six with her arrows, allowing the Chinese archer to edge the set 22-21The match was level at 2-2.
Swati regained the lead in the third set after Mengkan struggled to find her range, scoring eight, seven and sixThe Indian won the set 22-21 to move ahead 4-2 and put herself within one set of the gold medal.
The fourth set changed the course of the finalMengkan hit three 10s, including a perfect 10, to score 30 pointsSwati managed 20, allowing the Chinese archer to level the contest at 4-4.
With the gold medal on the line, Mengkan held her nerve in the deciding setShe scored 28 points against Swati’s 21 to complete the comeback and secure the title, leaving the Indian with silver.
Swati Chaudhary’s achievements and background
The result adds to Swati’s recent success in para archeryShe won a bronze medal at the World Archery Para Series in Ahmedabad last month and had entered the Asian Para Games final as the top seed.
Swati, who hails from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, competes in the W1 category, which is for archers with severe impairments affecting both the upper and lower limbsShe trains at Gurukul Archery Academy in Meerut under coach Satyadev Prasad.
She also won three silver medals at the Bangkok 2026 World Archery Para Series, in the women’s W1 individual, women’s team and mixed team eventsIn 2025, she won gold in the women’s W1 event at both the Para Archery National Championship and the Khelo India Para Games.
Despite limited financial support for major international trials, Swati has continued to compete at a high levelAccording to the provided profile, she has received INR 51,99,651 in financial assistance under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition for training and competition.
