Kolkata, India has appointed former world champion Dave Cousins as their chief compound coach ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics. Cousins, a 49-year-old American, will join within two weeks and will be in charge till the 2028 Olympics. He will earn USD 12,000 per month and will get 60 days of annual leave.
The appointment came after prolonged negotiations with former coach Sergio Pagni failed to materialise. Pagni had guided India to a clean sweep of five gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games but reportedly sought a substantial salary hike.
Cousins faces a challenging assignment with India naming an inexperienced compound squad for Asian Games. He will address the transition and prepare the new squad with a seven-day training camp involving the archers' personal coaches.
India will also hold a preparatory camp in Kurobe, Japan, before the Asian Games to help the archers acclimatise.
