New Delhi, September 7 (HS): The Indian men’s compound archery team created history by clinching their maiden gold medal at the World Archery Championships 2025 in Gwangju, South Korea, on Sunday.

India’s trio of Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge delivered a poised and disciplined performance to overcome France in the compound men’s team final. Facing French archers Nicolas Girard, Jean Philippe Boulch, and François Dubois, the Indian side initially trailed 57-59 in the opening set. However, they bounced back strongly in the second set with a 60-58 win to level the scores (117-117).

The third set ended in a tie as both teams maintained equal precision. In the decisive fourth set, India scored 59 points while France managed only 57, giving the Indian team a narrow but decisive 235-233 victory and their first-ever world championship gold medal in the event.

Earlier in the day, India’s mixed compound pairing of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav had secured a silver medal in the mixed team event. The Indian duo fought fiercely against the Dutch team of Mike Schloesser and Sanne de Laat in a thrilling final. India took an early lead at 39-38 in the first set but faltered in the subsequent rounds, eventually going down 155-157 to settle for silver.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar