Madhura wins maiden individual gold medal rush continues for India at Archery World Cup Stage 2

Madhura Dhamangaonkar capped her dream comeback event with a stunning 139-138 win over USA’s Carson Krahe, clinching her maiden individual World Cup gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Saturday.

Madhura, who is unranked in the World Archery rankings for not competing at the international level for three years, was trailing 81-85 after a costly seven in the third end.

But the 24-year-old showed remarkable composure under pressure, dropping just one point in a near-flawless fourth end to level the score at 110-all.

In the decider, she held her nerves with two perfect 10s -- both X scores of arrows closer to the centre -- and a 9 to edge past Krahe by one-point in a thrilling finish.

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This was Madhura’s third medal of the event, having earlier won a silver in the women’s team event and a bronze in the compound mixed team event alongside Abhishek Verma, marking a remarkable return to international archery after three years.

Medal rush continues for India at Archery World Cup Stage 2

Earlier, Indian compound archers delivered a stellar performance, clinching a gold, silver and bronze apiece in the team events at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 on Saturday.

The highlight of the medal rush was the gold won by the men’s team comprising Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale and Rishabh Yadav who defeated Mexico 232-228 in a tense final.

India began strongly taking a 2-point lead with a near-flawless 59 in the first end to Mexico’s 57. The second end saw Mexico fighting back with 58, while India managed 56 to level the match at 115-115 at the half-way stage.

In the third end, India edged ahead again with a 58 as Mexico posted 57, giving the Indians a slender 173-172 lead.

The Indian trio held its nerve in the final end, shooting a superb 59 to seal the gold with Mexico managing only 56.

In the women’s compound final, the team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Madhura Dhamangaonkar and Chikitha Taniparthi won silver after a 221-234 loss to a strong Mexican side.

It was a one-sided contest, but the Indian women showed promise throughout the tournament to earn a podium finish.

Adding to the medal tally, the Indian compound mixed team of Verma and Madhura clinched bronze, defeating Malaysia in a low-scoring third-place playoff.

The 24-year-old Madhura, who had never won a World Cup medal before, is making her second appearance in the competition having made a comeback after three years. Her last appearance was in the 2022 Archery World Cup Stage 4 in Medellin.

These results underline India’s growing depth and consistency in compound archery on the world stage.

With compound archery set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 featuring a solitary event in the mixed team category, India will be eyeing its first-ever medal in archery in the mega sporting show.