India’s men’s compound archery team makes history, winning their first-ever World Championship gold in Gwangju, South Korea. (Image Credit: NDTV Sports)
India's compound men's archery team wrote history by clinching their first-ever World Championship gold medal, outclassing France 235-233 in a pulsating final at Gwangju, South Korea, on Sunday. The triumph came as a silver lining following the failure of the women's team to make it to the podium for the first time in eight years.
The Indian team of Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge showed impressive calmness under fire. Seeded second following Yadav's eighth position in the individual qualifiers, the trio fought back from a wobbly start to shock the French combination of Nicolas Girrard, Jean Philippe Boulch, and Francois Dubois.
India's lowest-ranked qualifier, Prathamesh Fuge at 19th, made amends for a sluggish beginning with two 9s in the first end. He then hit six straight perfect 10s, including the arrow that sealed India's first gold in the men's compound team event.
"It's not just Fuge, all three members of the team demonstrated character and supported each other without getting under pressure," India's chief compound coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja said in a PTI interview.
India was behind 57-59 after the first end but charged back during the second end with six 10s to tie at 117-all. Both sides equaled scores in the third end, leaving it tied at 176-176. In the last end, the French team stumbled while India continued to be perfect, with Fuge's final arrow winning the historic match.
Coach Teja attributed a strategic adjustment during the round of 16 match against Australia as the turning point. Behind in the first three ends, India reversed the order of shooting Yadav opening, Saini second, and Fuge closing to register a flawless fourth end and a shoot-off win.
Post that transformation, the squad defeated powerhouse countries USA and Turkey to proceed to the final. Teja pointed out India's increasing domestic competition, referring to how youngsters now consistently score 350-355 out of 360, a serious improvement over erstwhile standards of 340-345, making the national team stronger.
Yadav, guided by two-time Asian Games silver medallist Abhishek Verma, has been consistently climbing the ranks since making his India debut at the 2018 Macau Indoor Archery Open. Earlier in the day, Yadav combined with Jyothi Surekha Vennam to secure silver in the mixed team event, losing to Netherlands' Mike Schloesser and Sanne de Laat by 155-157.
Even though they were leading by one point after the first end, India lost ground in the second but concluded strongly. Coach Teja was upbeat about India's mixed team chances, particularly with compound archery debuting in the Olympic games at Los Angeles 2028.
India's women's compound team was the only disappointment, being eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals after a steady run of podium placements since 2017. While the men were rising from historic glory, the women's premature departure was proof of the competitive hurdles at the world level.
With the men's squad breaking new ground and Yadav steadily on the climb, the future of India's compound archery looks rosy for further glory. The combination of young talent, strategic flexibility, and maturity makes India a force to reckon with in the coming World Championships and 2028 Olympics.
