India’s men’s compound archery team scripted history by winning its first-ever gold medal at the World Archery Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, defeating France 235–233 in the final.
Key Highlights
- Winning Team (India): Aman Saini, Rishabh Yadav, Prathamesh Bhalchandra Fuge.
- Runners-up (France): Nicolas Girard, Jean Philippe Boulch, François Dubois.
- Historic Moment: First gold for India in men’s compound team event since its introduction in 1995 (Jakarta).
- Path to Gold:
- Defeated Australia in Round 2 via a shoot-off (30–28 after 232 tie).
- Entered final and edged France 235–233 for gold.
Other Indian Medal Highlights
- Compound Mixed Team (Silver):
- Pair: Rishabh Yadav (23 yrs, debut) + Jyothi Surekha Vennam (World No. 3 qualifier).
- Defeated Germany (160–152), El Salvador (157–153), Chinese Taipei (157–155).
- Final: Lost to Netherlands 155–157, settled for silver.
- Jyothi’s Record:
- 2nd Mixed Team Silver at Worlds (after Yankton 2021 with Abhishek Verma).
- Knocked out in women’s team event (India lost to Italy 229–233 in pre-quarterfinals).
Event Overview
- Edition: World Archery Championships, 2025.
- Host City: Gwangju, South Korea.
- Participation: 500 archers from 74 countries & territories.
- Significance: Compound mixed team event will debut at Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
Significance for India
- First-ever men’s compound World Champion title — milestone moment in Indian archery.
- Boost to India’s preparation for upcoming Asian Games, World Cups, and LA 2028 Olympics.
- Recognition of India’s growing strength in compound archery, complementing its traditional recurve achievements.
Key Facts
- World Archery Federation (WA/WAf): Founded in 1931; HQ in Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Archery in Olympics: Only recurve discipline included (since 1972 Munich); compound to debut at LA 2028.
- First Indian World Champion in Archery: Dola Banerjee (2007, recurve, women’s individual, Dubai).
- India’s Top Compound Archers: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan, Rishabh Yadav.
- Historic Wins:
- Jyothi Surekha Vennam won triple gold (women’s individual, women’s team, mixed team) at 2021 Archery World Championships (Yankton, USA).
- France in Compound Archery: Won gold in 1995 Jakarta Worlds (when event was first introduced).
- India’s Archery Training Hub: Army Sports Institute (Pune), Tata Archery Academy (Jamshedpur), SAI Centres.