Shillong, Aug 12: South West Khasi Hills emerged as the leading district in the Indian Round category at the Meghalaya State Archery Championship 2026, while the recurve and compound events are set to take place on the concluding day tomorrow.

The three-day championship, which began on Tuesday, is being organised by the Archery Association of Meghalaya (AAM) at the Sports Authority of India Centre on the NEHU campus.

South West Khasi Hills topped the Indian Round medal tally with 5 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals, narrowly finishing ahead of West Khasi Hills, which secured 4 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze.

East Jaintia Hills impressed with 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals to finish third, while East Garo Hills claimed fourth place with 3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze, making it the highest-placed district from the Garo Hills.

East Khasi Hills stood fifth with 1 gold and 4 silver medals.

Almost all participating districts managed to secure at least one medal, with North Garo Hills the only district yet to open its account.

The Indian Round is a competitive archery discipline that uses traditional bamboo, cane or wooden bows and arrows while following a format similar to modern technical archery. The discipline was developed in 1989, with Meghalaya’s own Woodward Sohliya among its pioneers.

With modern bows and equipment often being expensive, the Indian Round provides a more affordable entry point into competitive archery while also helping preserve indigenous archery traditions. It has consequently become an important grassroots discipline in the state.

Competitions in the Indian Round were held from the sub-junior to senior levels for both male and female archers, covering individual, team and mixed-team categories.

The championship will conclude tomorrow with the recurve and compound events, giving the other districts an opportunity to make up ground in the overall competition.