Published: July 8, 2026 at 10:19 pm
India’s struggling compound archers were back to their winning ways under new coach Dave Cousins as the women’s team stormed into the final, while the men’s side narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 4 in Madrid on Wednesday.
The women’s trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep went all the way till the summit clash. They ousted third-seeded South Korea 231-228 in the semifinals to set up a gold medal clash against top-seeded Colombia on Saturday.
In the individual events, all Indian compound archers except Parneet Kaur in the women’s section remained in medal contention after advancing to the round of 32, thereby making it seven Indians in the fray.
Stage 4 marked the start of American great Cousins’ tenure as India’s compound coach, and the team’s return to the podium has provided an immediate boost. After enduring a lean phase this season, the Indian compound archers under the American chief compound coach impressed in the qualification round with the men’s team securing the top seed and the women’s team entering the knockouts as the seventh seed.
