Chikitha Rao Taniparthi (born 13 August 2005) is an Indian compound archer. She won two gold medals at the 2026 Asian Games. She is became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the women's junior individual event at the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships, and has also won medals in the Archery World Cup, Indoor Archery World Series, and Archery Asia Cup.
Early life Chikitha Taniparthi was born on 13 August 2005. She hails from an agricultural family in Sultanpur in Peddapalli district, Telangana. Her father, Srinivas Rao, mortgaged his farmland to get her a compound bow to enable her to take part in archery events. In 2021, her father reached out to archer Abhishek Verma, who invited her for trials at New Delhi, and she was later admitted to the National Centre of Excellence run by the Sports Authority of India at Sonipat.
Career Taniparthi won her first major domestic title at the 2023 National Games of India, where she secured gold in the women's individual event, representing Telangana. In the 2025 Archery World Cup, the Indian women's team consisting of Taniparthi, Jyothi Surekha and Madhura Dhamangaonkar, won the silver medal in the women's team event. In August 2025, she won the gold medal in the women's junior compound individual event at the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg, thereby becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the women's individual event at the World Youth Championships.
Taniparthi and Rajat Chauhan won the gold medal in the mixed team event in the 2026 Asia Cup at Bangkok. In May 2026, she qualified for the 2026 Asian Games after finishing in the top three of the women's compound individual event during the national selection trials. At the 2026 Asian Games, she won gold medals in the women's and mixed team compound events, and secured quota places for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
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