New Delhi: Indian archer Madhura Dhamangaonkar can make 2025 her breakthrough year, with the upcoming Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya, Turkiye, acting as an enabler in harbouring big dreams.
It’s not even a month after the Amravati-born archer grabbed the spotlight after winning three medals at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, China, a gold medal in the women’s individual event, silver in women’s team event and bronze in mixed team alongside senior man Abhishek Verma.
The success was enormous for the 24-year-old archer, who started her international journey in 2018, but it only increases expectations in future competitions. She will hope to ride on the momentum gained in Shanghai in Antalya, but archery coach Purnima Mahato believes that one achievement won’t guarantee prolonged success.
“Archers do wish to maintain consistency. But there is no thumb rule that once she has become champion, the next time she will retain the title,” Purnima told News9 Sports in a telephonic conversation from Antalya on Tuesday (June 2).
“She (Madhura) has the second tournament in World Cup this year. So hopefully, she will do it better. She would want to bank on the energy she has attained after becoming the champion.”
New rules a new challenge
Purnima believes that the tricky wind conditions will be more challenging in contrast to the ones experienced in Shanghai as the wind keeps varying on the field. On top of that, the new archery rules will come into effect starting from the World Cup Stage 3.
The X-ring, which is the innermost circle of the 10-pointer mark on the target board, will now be rewarded by 11 points. In the previous point system, the X shot used to account for 10 points, and the maximum number of X would determine the winner in case of a situation of a tiebreaker. The 11-point system will give outright edge to competitors, Purnima said.
The other change is reduction of number of arrows in the qualifying round. Instead of 72-arrow qualifying rounds, archers in Antalya will shoot 60 arrows, according to the changes mentioned by global governing body World Archery. These changes are to be implemented on an experimental basis.
“The one who will score more inner X will get more scores and that will serve as an edge between the two competitors,” said Purnima.
Relocation transformed career
For Madhura, the response to these aforementioned challenges will underline her transformation level, one which her father Shailendra Dhamangaonkar credits to the move from Amravati to Satara in November 2023.
Her journey in archery began in 2011 with a wooden bow like most archers in the country. In the following year, she took recurve as a discipline and competed in school and national competitions until 2017, when she made a switch to the compound category. The move came after a crucial counsel from her childhood coach Ganesh Vishwakarma, who felt the youngster would find success in the then non-Olympic discipline of the sport.
Madhura made her international debut for India at the 2018 Asia Cup Stage 3 ranking tournament. However, she couldn’t find any noteworthy success at the global stage in five years with her last appearance was made in 2022 in the World Cup Stage IV in Columbia.
After a series of disappointments, Shailendra felt the need for better coaching for Madhura. As a result, he started his own survey for a suitable coach who could improve her daughter’s game. That’s when Pravin Sawant’s name came up. Pravin is credited for success of young Indian archers Ojas Pravin Deotale and Aditi Gopichand Swami.
Change in equipment brings desired results
It prompted Madhura to enrol at the Drushti Archery Academy in Satara. The first change Pravin made for the Maharashtra archer was getting her a new equipment from the Hoyt bow to PSE bow given that the latter was quite adaptable to her body structure. The other thing was Pravin asked her to start from the scratch with the wooden bow.
“Equipment is the main thing in a sport like archery. The previous bow she was using wasn’t bad but it was made with the thought of comfort,” Pravin told News9.
“So, I wanted the change in bow to align her body posture for better shooting. I am happy to see her substantial growth thereafter.”
“It was a big thing for both of us to start again with the wooden bow. She was so determined to get better results at any condition,” he added.
Pravin said that the three medals bagged in Shanghai is a big motivation for her new protege to target for higher events like the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
“Madhura is a confident girl. The moment she is into a knockout game, she plays with boldness. She easily picks up things as she is a quick learner. She has a trust on me and in these two years I have seen her move in the right direction,” he said.
Madhura’s temperament
In the gold medal contest in World Cup Stage II against United States’ Carson Krahe, Madhura made giant strides from trailing 81-85 to clinching a nail-biting 139-138 win. Pravin said that he had to prepare her temperament for such situations as she is determined to bounce back in crunch moments.
Madhura’s father Shailendra works as a medical representative in a pharma firm in Amravati. He shared his struggles of purchasing bows worth of over Rs one lakh, thanking the support of relatives and closed friends. He also recalled when his elder daughter Shalaka, a swimmer by profession, got married in January 2020, just two months after Madhura’s bow was broken.
“My friends and relatives helped me to purchase the bow worth 1.8 lakh as the situation was very challenging at that point,” he said.
After compound archery was announced to make its debut in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 in April this year, Madhura was roped in by the Olympic Gold Quest, a not for profit company. Her father said that she has set her eyes on the Olympic dreams, but to achieve that she will need to cross a lot of hurdles en route. One of them awaits in Antalya this week.
Indian archer Madhura Dhamangaonkar, fresh off a gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2, prepares for Stage 3 in Antalya. Her coach highlights the increased difficulty due to new rules and challenging wind conditions. Madhura’s recent success is attributed to a coaching change and new equipment, fueling hopes for continued international success. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
