Her final look at a World Cup stage occasion got here again in 2022. On her return to the Indian crew at this yr’s Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on Saturday, compound archer Madhura Dhamangaonkar clinched her first senior worldwide gold medal. It was the headline act on one other spectacular outing for India’s compound archers on the international stage because the contingent completed with two gold, one silver and two bronze. The opposite gold medal got here within the males’s crew occasion, the place the trio of a number of World Cup gold medalist Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale, and Rishabh Yadav defeated Mexico 232-228 in a tense ultimate.
Out of World Cup motion for 3 years, Madhura had a memorable outing, being a part of three medals – she was additionally within the silver-medal profitable ladies’s compound crew and gained bronze within the blended crew (a current addition to the Olympic Video games roster) together with Abhishek. Within the compound particular person ultimate, the 4-year-old from Amravati, Maharashtra, edged out USA’s Carson Krahe 139-138 to seal the highest spot.
On a day when situations had been powerful to shoot with gusts of wind, Madhura’s particular person ultimate was a roller-coaster affair. She opened with an ideal 30, together with two Xs, however faltered with two 8s within the second finish and a expensive 7 within the third, trailing 81-85. Krahe, ranked 52nd and a World Cup crew bronze medallist final yr, capitalised with an ideal 30 within the third finish. Madhura confirmed nerves of metal, taking pictures a near-flawless 29 within the fourth to degree the match at 110-all. Within the decisive ultimate finish, she fired two Xs and a 9, whereas Krahe managed solely 28, sealing Madhura’s dramatic one-point win.
Madhura, who topped Indian qualifiers to earn the third seeding, started her particular person marketing campaign by knocking out Turkey’s world No. 13 Hazal Burun — a double World Cup crew medallist — with a composed 143-141 win constructed on two flawless opening ends.
Within the ladies’s crew ultimate, Madhura partnered with Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi to take silver after a 221-234 loss to a powerful Mexican outfit. Madhura added to her tally with a blended crew bronze alongside Verma, beating Malaysia 144-142 in a low-scoring playoff.
Within the males’s particular person occasion, 22-year-old Yadav went on to assert his maiden particular person World Cup medal, defeating South Korea’s Kim Jongho 145-145 (10*-10) in a dramatic shoot-off for bronze.
Recurve occasions are scheduled for the ultimate day of Stage 2 on Sunday with Parth Salunkhe and Deepika Kumari a part of the ultimate fours.
(With PTI inputs)