Shanghai, May 11: Capping a dream comeback, Madhura Dhamangaonkar clinched her maiden individual World Cup gold to headline India’s glittering medal collection in the compound section — two gold, one silver and two bronze at the Archery Stage 2 showpiece here on Saturday.
Unranked for being in the sidelines for three years, Madhura produced a sensational upturn in the final, edging out USA’s Carson Krahe 139-138 to seal the top podium.
The 24-year-old from Amravati, Maharashtra, had earlier bagged a team silver and a mixed team bronze, completing a fine three-medal haul.
However, 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.
Undeterred, 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.
Earlier, India’s medal tally began with a gold 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.
The top-seeded Indian team started strong with a 59 to Mexico’s 57, but saw the match level at 115-115 by the halfway mark.
India regained control with a 58 in the third end and sealed the victory with a brilliant 59 in the final end, as Mexico managed only 56.
The 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.
Having led after the first end, Yadav lost the next two but bounced back with a perfect 30 to level scores at 115-115.
Both archers shot flawless 30s in the final end, but Yadav’s arrow was closer to the centre in the shoot-off. Yadav earlier lost to world No. 1 and multiple world champion Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands 144-147.
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.
Despite the one-sided result, the Indian team showed promise throughout the tournament.
Madhura added to her tally with a mixed team bronze alongside Verma, beating Malaysia 144-142 in a low-scoring playoff.
These results highlight 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 Games with a single mixed team event, India will be eyeing its first Olympic medal in the sport.
Recurve events are scheduled for the final day of Stage 2 on Sunday, with India in the hunt for three more medals.
The Indian men’s team will compete in the bronze playoff, while Parth Salunkhe and Deepika Kumari begin their campaigns from the semifinals. (PTI)
