India, Sept. 30 -- Chikitha Taniparthi's Asian Games debut could hardly have been more emphatic - two gold medals in two days. But behind the 21-year-old compound archer's breakthrough lies a decision made by her father years ago, when she was more interested in karate and knew little about the sport that would eventually take her to the Asian Games podium.

A farmer's daughter from Sultanpur village in Telangana's Peddapalli district, Chikitha first took up karate in school and even earned a black belt between Classes 6 and 8.

Archery entered her life almost by accident.

Her uncle gifted her a recurve bow from Decathlon during a Dussehra holiday. Chikitha began shooting arrows for fun at a makeshift target in her backyard, but her fath...