Gwangju (South Korea): India scaled a historic first in men’s compound archery team event here on Sunday, winning the gold to make up for the disappointment by the women’s team that failed to finish on podium for the first time in the World Championships in eight years.
India’s top qualifier Rishabh Yadav also returned with a double, bagging silver in the mixed team event with veteran Jyothi Surekha Vennam, while there was disappointment on the women’s front as the team bowed out in the pre-quarterfinals to end a consistent medal run since 2017.
Seeded second on the back of Yadav’s eighth-place finish in the individual qualifiers, the Indian men’s trio of Yadav, Aman Saini and Prathamesh Fuge fought back from behind to stun France 235-233 in a gripping final.
France fielded Nicolas Girrard, Jean Philippe Boulch and Francois Dubois, but the Indian unit showed remarkable composure under pressure, as has been the trend since Saturday.
Much of the credit should go to Fuge, India’s lowest-ranked qualifier at 19th, who redeemed himself after starting with two 9s in the first end.
The 22-year-old then unleashed six perfect 10s in a row, including a decisive final arrow that sealed India’s landmark gold medal.
“It’s not just Fuge, each member of the trio showed character and complemented each other without succumbing to pressure,” India’s chief compound coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja told PTI.
India trailed 57-59 after the opening end, but stormed back with six 10s in the second end to level the match at 117-all. Both sides shot 59 each in the third, keeping scores tied at 176-176.
In the final end, the French faltered under pressure, while India remained flawless, with Fuge’s last arrow — yet another 10 — clinching the historic gold.
Tactical tweak paid off
Coach Teja revealed that the turning point came in the round of 16 against Australia, their opening clash, as they got a bye in the first round.
India were trailing in the first three ends but turned it around with a flawless fourth end before winning the shoot-off.
Desperate for a comeback, Teja swapped the shooting order, letting Yadav open, Saini go second, and Fuge close.
Since that change, the boys looked unstoppable. They knocked out powerhouses USA and Turkey to make the final.
He credited India’s depth in compound archery to the cut-throat domestic competition since the rise of Abhishek Verma, the two-time Asian Games silver medallist and multiple World Cup winner, who is now out of the team with the youngsters making the cut at his expense.
“Earlier, 340-345 out of 360 (36 arrows) was enough to make the national team. Now, the youngsters, adept with technology, regularly shoot 350-355. The standard has gone up massively,” Teja said.
Yadav, 23, was mentored by Verma as a teenager and even received his first compound bow from him, he recalled.
Since making his India debut at the Macau Indoor Archery Open in 2018, Yadav has grown steadily, winning his maiden World Cup medal, a bronze in Shanghai earlier this year.
This is his second Worlds appearance after Yankton 2021, and he will now target an individual medal in Gwangju.
Mixed team silver-lining
Earlier in the day, Yadav and Jyothi went down 155-157 to the Netherlands’ Mike Schloesser, the world number one, and Sanne de Laat in the mixed team final to settle for silver.
The Indian pair had a one-point lead after the opening end but slipped in the second, where three 9s saw them trail 76-77.
Despite finishing strongly with a perfect fourth end, the Dutch duo were flawless at the death, shooting six 10s to secure the gold.
It was Jyothi’s seventh Worlds appearance, and India’s first medal since Yankton 2021, after drawing a blank at the Berlin edition two years ago.
“We’re happy to win a medal after missing out last time. The performance is there, but in sport, you can’t win every time. The Dutch were exceptional today.
“There’s pressure and psychology involved, but nothing to worry about going ahead,” Teja said on India’s mixed team prospects, especially with the event making its Olympic debut in compound section at Los Angeles 2028.
Women’s team setback
The only setback came from the women’s compound team, which lost in the pre-quarterfinals to crash out of medal contention on Saturday. This ended a proud streak of four successive World Championship podium finishes since 2017.
