CHENNAI: Things didn't go Madhura Dhamangaonkar's way in recent Archery World Cups. The unsatisfactory outings pushed her to the verge of quitting the sport. Cut to May 2025, the compound archer has a gold medal around her neck after winning the final of the Women's compound event against Carson Krahe of the United States at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on Friday.
The final was a nail-biting affair. From starting with a 30 with two Xs in the first end to trailing 81-85 at the third end, Madhura bounced back, scoring two Xs and a nine. Kruhe faltered by one point as the final scoreboard read 139-138 with Madhura securing her moment of glory.
That she almost called it quits after forgettable performances in the last two World Cups only makes this victory special. On the same day, she won bronze in the compound mixed event with Abhishek Verma and silver in the compound women's team with Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi.
Her coach Pravin Sawant felt that it was her 'gold wala mind' that propelled her to victory. "Since she's been with me, she's always had it in her mind; to win gold for the nation," he told this daily. Madhura is someone who can grasp quickly from her tutors. "That is her biggest strength. She does what she thinks of. She does what she sets her mind on," he added.
Sawant credited the turnaround to the change in compound equipment. "She has the body structure that belongs to this category. She was already an Indian player and we only helped her with pacing and her equipment. I put her with the 'PSE company' (American archery supply company) That was my decision, which was important. She trusted me with it," he explained.
In addition, Sawant felt that invoking the state's icons like Chatrapathi Shivaji had motivated the 24-year-old. "People in Maharashtra look up to him and his spirit. I used to use that to motivate her," he recounted.
Hailing from Amravati, Madhura was earlier under the tutelage of Ganesh Vishwakarma and Pawan Tambade for the past seven years. Sawant first knew Madhura through archer Prathamesh Fuge, with whom the latter trained at Sonipat. "This is where she joined the Drushti Archery Academy in 2023," he recalled.
Madhura's story has destiny playing its pivotal part in making her who she is today. Her father Shailendra, reminisced about the train travel from Kolkata after her sister took part in an Asian level swimming competition in Dhaka back in 2011. At the time, Madhura had taken gymnastics. "We were travelling (back to Nagpur) and when the train stopped at Chandrapur, we happened to see a woman who won a silver medal in the national games. She was a compound archer, we learnt. This was where Madhura shared her aspirations to be an archer to me," he recalled.
The archer was Jayalakshmi Sarikonda, who is now a sports officer. Little did she know that her medal inspired another to go on and clinch gold at the discipline's premier tournament. Shailendra credited the sporting background of the family for her daughter's success." Her sister took part in swimming, and I was also a Kabaddi player in my day. That was conducive and it fed her confidence," he opined.
Friday was a day of nerves in the Dhamangaonkar house. "We had tuned in this morning, and all we had was 'dhak dhak dhak!' (loud heartbeats)," he said, adding that being a father to someone who has all three medals for the nation in the same day is of "immense pride."
Coach Sawant was confident of Madhura's chances at the Olympics, now that the mixed compound event is included at LA 2028. "I am very sure she will be in the Olympic team and get a medal for India," he signed off.
INDIA'S MEDAL IN ARCHERY WORLD CUP
Mixed Compound - Bronze (Madhura Dhamangaonkar, Abhishek Verma)
Women's team Compound - Silver (Madhura Dhamangaonkar, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi)
Women's Compound - Gold.