Archive · 18 Sep 2026
Cousins Says India’s First Olympic Archery Medal Is Inevitable
Dave Cousins is India’s new coach for compound archery.
He believes Indian archers will eventually win the country’s first Olympic archery medal.
He is helping the team prepare for the Asian Games and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Compound mixed-team archery will be part of those Olympics.
Cousins says competition in Asia has become much tougher.
He still believes Indian archers work extremely hard and have great talent.
He says Jyothi Surekha Vennam is still well prepared even though she has not won a World Cup medal this season.
He is also excited about young archer Prithika Pradeep’s progress.
Cousins believes one Olympic medal could lead to many more successes for India.
India’s new compound archery coach Dave Cousins says the country’s first Olympic archery medal is only a matter of time.
Cousins is preparing India for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games while targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
He says India faces stronger Asian competition but praises its archers’ talent, depth and work ethic.
Cousins defended Jyothi Surekha Vennam after a medal-less World Cup season, citing intense global competition.
He highlighted 17-year-old Prithika Pradeep and said India’s inexperienced men’s team is developing steadily.
- Who
- India’s compound archery team and its new head coach, Dave Cousins, along with archers including Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep.
- What
- Cousins has predicted that India will win its first Olympic archery medal and is developing the team toward that goal.
- When
- Cousins’ contract runs through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics; the team is currently preparing for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
- Where
- The preparations involve India’s national compound archery team, with Cousins speaking from Kurobe, Japan.
- Why
- The goal is to capitalize on India’s talent and prepare for compound mixed-team archery’s inclusion at the 2028 Olympics.
Cousins’ Optimism
Competitive Caution
India’s Olympic prospects
Cousins’ Optimism
Cousins says India’s first Olympic archery medal is inevitable and could trigger a broader wave of international success.
Competitive Caution
India still faces a substantially more competitive Asian field, and Cousins declined to predict how many medals the team will win at the Asian Games.
India’s current form
Cousins’ Optimism
Cousins says Indian archers have exceptional talent, depth and work ethic, and that established athletes can reach another level.
Competitive Caution
The compound team has faced setbacks since the Hangzhou Asian Games, including Jyothi Surekha Vennam’s failure to win a World Cup medal this season and an inexperienced men’s team.
- Coach
- Dave Cousins, India’s new national compound archery head coach
- Olympic target
- The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
- Asian Games target
- The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
- Olympic milestone
- India has not yet won an Olympic archery medal
- Recent Indian success
- India won all five compound gold medals, plus one silver and one bronze, at the Hangzhou Asian Games
- Key young archer
- Prithika Pradeep, 17, won her first World Cup bronze in Madrid
- Cousins’ contract
- Runs through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics