India made history at the World Archery Championships 2025 in Gwangju as the men’s compound team claimed their first-ever gold medal. The trio of Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge defeated France 235-233 in the final, showcasing grit and determination throughout the tournament. Rishabh Yadav, making his World Championships debut at just 23, was thrilled with the achievement. Speaking to ANI, he said, “We recently had an Archery World Championship in Gwangju, South Korea. In that, for the first time, India won a gold medal in the compound men’s team, and this is a historic win. India had never won such a medal before. In the mixed team, we won a silver medal. This silver medal in the mixed team is special because the compound event has just been added to the Olympics. There is a very good support from the government, the Sports Authority of India and everyone, including the Archery Association of India. We players will strengthen ourselves further, and our PM’s dream of coming in the top ten in the Olympics this time will be fulfilled.“ Aman Saini shared his happiness after the victory, saying, “This is the first for India in this category, so I am feeling very happy after winning this medal. After winning this medal, I am feeling motivated and positive.” The second-seeded Indian men’s team overcame a first-set deficit of 59-57 to beat the fifth-seeded French team of Nicolas Girard, Jean Philippe Boulch, and Francois Dubois 235-233. Their journey to gold was remarkable as they came from behind in all four matches. After a first-round bye, India edged past Australia in a shoot-off 232(30)-232(28), beat the USA 234-233 in the quarter-finals, and overcame third seeds Turkiye 234-232 in the semi-finals. In the mixed team event, Rishabh partnered with Jyothi Surekha Vennam, India’s top-ranked compound woman archer and the No. 3 qualifier. The duo defeated Germany, El Salvador, and Chinese Taipei to reach the final against the Netherlands. India started strong, leading 39-38 after the first set, but eventually lost 157-155 and settled for silver. For Jyothi, 29, it was her second mixed team silver at the Worlds after her podium finish with Abhishek Verma at Yankton 2021. However, Jyothi’s campaign ended early in the women’s team event. The third-seeded trio of Jyothi, Parneet Kaur, and Prithika Pradeep suffered a 229-233 defeat to 14th-seeded Italy in the pre-quarterfinals, ending hopes of defending their crown from Berlin 2023. The championship in Gwangju saw participation from 500 archers representing 74 countries and territories. The competition concluded on September 11 with India celebrating a historic gold and a promising silver.
