India, Sept. 30 -- After a rare 9 from an Indian archer's bow at the Okazaki Central Park Multipurpose Square, Chikitha Taniparthi let out a little smile turning to the coach stationed behind her. There was something about India's compound archers on Wednesday at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The women were grinning and giggling between ends. The men were high-fiving and first-bumping after matches.

"I can speak for myself - I was really having a good time shooting in the final," Jyothi Surekha Vennam, India's most experienced and accomplished compound archer, told HT from Aichi.

"I was just happy and not worried about anything else. I wanted to be there for the team, and for the team to do well."

All Indian teams did just that. The co...