Madhura’s gold pushes India to four medals

Shanghai

India’s Madhura Dhamangaonkar won her first individual World Cup gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai. She defeated USA's Carson Krahe 139-138 in a thrilling final on Saturday, bringing India’s medal count to four in the tournament.

Madhura, who had been away from international archery for three years, showed great strength under pressure. Trailing 81-85 after scoring a seven in the third end, she bounced back by almost shooting a perfect fourth end, tying the match 110-110. In the final round, she hit two X-ring 10s and a 9 to secure the gold.

This was Madhura’s third medal at the event. She had earlier won silver in the women’s team event and bronze in the mixed team event with Abhishek Verma. Her comeback performance highlighted her skill and calmness.

India's other medals included gold in the men’s compound team event, where Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale, and Rishabh Yadav beat Mexico 232-228. The team had earlier edged Denmark 232-231 in a close semifinal.

In the women’s compound final, the Indian team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, and Chikitha Taniparthi earned silver after losing 221-234 to Mexico. Despite the defeat, the team impressed with strong performances.

The mixed compound team of Verma and Madhura also won bronze, beating Malaysia. These results show India’s growing success in compound archery, especially with the discipline debuting at the 2028 Olympics. India is now seen as a strong contender for its first Olympic archery medal.