How Did India's Compound Men's Team Win Gold at the World Archery Championships?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- India's first gold medal in the men's compound archery team event.
- Rishabh Yadav also won silver in the mixed team event.
- The team overcame strong competitors, including the USA and Turkiye.
- Rishabh and Jyothi have established themselves as top archers, breaking records and winning medals.
- This achievement is a significant milestone for Indian archery.
Gwangju, Sep 7 (NationPress) India's men's compound archery team comprising Aman Saini, Rishabh Yadav, and Prathamesh Bhalchandra Fuge made history by securing India’s inaugural Compound Men’s Team Gold at the World Archery Championships held here on Sunday.
The exceptional performance from the Indian trio saw them defeat the French team, which included Nicolas Girard, Jean Philippe Boulch, and François Dubois. This was significant as it marked the French team's first entry into a World Championship gold medal match since the Jakarta 1995 Championships, where the compound category was first introduced and won by Les Bleus.
The Indian men's team commenced their journey in the second round, narrowly overcoming the Australian team in a tense shoot-off (30-28) after a tie of 232 at the fourth end. They followed this with a slim victory over America, winning 234-233 in the quarterfinal, and then defeating Turkiye 234-232 in the semifinals.
This achievement was particularly notable for Rishabh, who also participated in the compound mixed team final alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam. Unfortunately, the duo settled for the silver medal after losing to the Dutch pair of Mike Schloesser and Sanne de Laat.
Rishabh and Jyothi, who previously set a world record with their 144-arrow performance at the Shanghai 2025 World Cup stage 2 in May, also won gold at the Central Florida 2025 World Cup stage 1 and bronze at Madrid 2025 World Cup stage 4. They demonstrated remarkable consistency, hitting only six nines across their three matches and achieving a perfect score of 160 (7 Xs) against Germany in the second round before edging out Chinese Taipei 157-155 in the semifinals.
This marks India's second compound mixed team medal at a World Championships, following their silver at Yankton 2021, where Jyothi again participated alongside Abhishek Verma.