World Archery Field Championships: Parneet Kaur exits in 16, Lalit Jain plays key event Role

India had a strong presence at the 2026 World Archery Field Championships in Yankton, South Dakota, with Indian compound archer Parneet Kaur of Patiala advancing to the last 16 of the individual competition and Lalit Jain of Moonak, Punjab, serving as an Event Coordinator at the championship.

The championship, being held from September 22 to 27, is the 29th edition of the World Archery Field Championships and has brought together 244 archers representing 31 nations in senior and under-21 categories across recurve, compound and barebow.

Competition began with an unmarked qualification round on Wednesday, when archers shot 24 targets at unknown distances. They completed another 24 targets at marked distances before the first elimination matches.

Field archery tests not only shooting accuracy but also distance judgement, terrain management and the ability to adapt to changing target sizes, angles and conditions.

Parneet Kaur carries India's challenge forward

Parneet Kaur, the compound archer from Patiala, Punjab, completed qualification with a score of 683 to finish 17th in the women's compound standings. That result placed her into the 1/12 elimination round, where she faced Slovenia's Barbra Pia Krize.

In a closely contested match, Parneet held her nerve to win 96-94 and advance to the 1/8 round. She then faced top seed and defending world field champion Paige Pearce of the United States but lost 93-103.

Her performance is also another significant international appearance for Punjab archery, with the Patiala-based archer competing against some of the world's leading compound specialists.

Indian compound men complete qualification

In the men's compound division, experienced Indian international Abhishek Verma was the highest-ranked Indian after qualification, scoring 728 points to finish 19th.

Aman Saini was 26th with 701, while Rishabh Yadav finished 30th with 686 and finished outside the individual elimination cut.

Verma progressed to the 1/12 elimination round, where he met Slovenia's Aljaz Matija Brenk. The Indian scored 100, but Brenk advanced with 103, bringing Verma's individual campaign to an end.

India's compound mixed team combination of Parneet Kaur and Abhishek Verma recorded a qualification total of 1,411 points, placing ninth in the standings.

Moonak's Lalit Jain plays key role in championship operations

Punjab's connection with the championships extends beyond the shooting line. Lalit Jain, from Moonak in Punjab's Sangrur district, serves as an Event Coordinator and manages logistics for the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2026 World Archery Field Championships and the 2026 World Archery 3D Championships in Yankton.

In addition to his LOC responsibilities, Jain works closely with the World Archery Results Team to manage official competition results and accreditation for the events.

His role involves coordinating key operational areas that support the smooth delivery of the championships for athletes, officials and participating teams.

With the Field Championships followed by the World Archery 3D Championships at the same Yankton venue, Jain's responsibilities span two major international competitions, giving the Punjab native an important role within the Local Organising Committee's event operations.

His involvement places a Punjabi professional at the operational heart of two world-level archery championships, while Parneet Kaur represents Punjab and India on the competition field.

India's final rank in each event

Parneet Kaur - Compound Women (683) - 16th

Abhishek Verma - Compound Men (728) - 19th

Aman Saini - Compound Men (701) - 26th

Rishabh Yadav - Compound Men (686) - 30th

Parneet Kaur / Abhishek Verma - Compound Mixed Team (1411) - 9th