Kushal Dalal is the 2026 Lucky Dog!

37 archers who had scored 899 competed for just one place in the final Championship shootdown.

India's Kushal Dalal is the Lucky Dog in 2026. The 21-year-old won through the time-honored Vegas Shoot battle for a spot on the big stage to compete for the $50,000 first prize. "It really means a lot to me. I was thinking to shoot a 900, but I dropped one point in the second day of scoring," said Dalal.

"What made the difference? I was just thinking to shoot the same. For tonight, if I focus too hard, I drop points. So I'll be just thinking to just have fun in the shooting!"

The first end of the Lucky Dog must be a standard X to continue, but any subsequent arrows must be 'inside out' tens. Many archers use 'skinny' arrows and/or a separate sight to maximise the advantage.

After a single round of shooting, 25 archers were left, and just seven after round 2. After three rounds, there was just Dalal and the veteran French compounder Pierre-Julien Deloche. One end, later, it was over.

Dalal has been a fixture on the Indian compound team for a while and won two regional Asia Cup championships last year, as well as the GT Open indoor world series tournament in November 2025.

Last year's Lucky Dog spot was also won by an Indian archer, Ojas Pravin Deotale, who lasted until the last seven archers in the eighth end of shooting in the Champsionship shootdown.

Dulal's win in the Lucky Dog shoot-off not only adds a big chapter to his archery journey but sets him up for a shot at the big prize in Sunday's shootdown.

You can watch the Championship finals from Sunday 6.30pm Vegas time on the NFAA YouTube channel. Follow @TheVegasShoot on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates.