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Archery World Cup: Madhura Dhamangaonkar shines with individual gold as India bag five medals in compound events

The highlight of compound Saturday in Shanghai was 24-year-old Madhura Dhamangaonkar clinching her first senior international gold medal.

Madhura Dhamangaonkar (C) and Abhishek Verma (R) won the mixed team compound bronze medal. The former also won individual gold. Credit: World Archery

Her last appearance at a World Cup stage event came back in 2022. On her return to the Indian team at this year’s Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on Saturday, compound archer Madhura Dhamangaonkar clinched her first senior international gold medal. It was the headline act on another impressive outing for India’s compound archers at the global stage as the contingent finished with two gold, one silver and two bronze. The other gold medal came in the men’s team event, where the trio of multiple World Cup gold medalist Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale, and Rishabh Yadav defeated Mexico 232-228 in a tense final.

Out of World Cup action for three years, Madhura had a memorable outing, being part of three medals – she was also in the silver-medal winning women’s compound team and won bronze in the mixed team (a recent addition to the Olympic Games roster) along with Abhishek. In the compound individual final, the 4-year-old from Amravati, Maharashtra, edged out USA’s Carson Krahe 139-138 to seal the top spot.

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On a day when conditions were tough to shoot with gusts of wind, Madhura’s individual final was a roller-coaster affair. She opened with a perfect 30, including two Xs, but faltered with two 8s in the second end and a costly 7 in the third, trailing 81-85. Krahe, ranked 52nd and a World Cup team bronze medallist last year, capitalised with a perfect 30 in the third end. Madhura showed nerves of steel, shooting a near-flawless 29 in the fourth to level the match at 110-all. In the decisive final end, she fired two Xs and a 9, while Krahe managed only 28, sealing Madhura’s dramatic one-point win.

Madhura, who topped Indian qualifiers to earn the third seeding, began her individual campaign by knocking out Turkey’s world No. 13 Hazal Burun — a double World Cup team medallist — with a composed 143-141 win built on two flawless opening ends.

In the women’s team final, Madhura partnered with Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi to take silver after a 221-234 loss to a strong Mexican outfit. Madhura added to her tally with a mixed team bronze alongside Verma, beating Malaysia 144-142 in a low-scoring playoff.

In the men’s individual event, 22-year-old Yadav went on to claim his maiden individual World Cup medal, defeating South Korea’s Kim Jongho 145-145 (10*-10) in a dramatic shoot-off for bronze.

Recurve events are scheduled for the final day of Stage 2 on Sunday with Parth Salunkhe and Deepika Kumari part of the final fours.

(With PTI inputs)