India and Mexico win first team World Championship golds -

History was made for both India and Mexico as the countries gold medalled for the first time in the World Championship compound team events at Gwangju.

Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini and Prathamesh Bhalchandra Fuge eventually defeated France in a nail-biting finish of the compound men’s team where scores were tied at 205 heading into each archer’s last remaining arrow.

It was Jean Philippe Boulch and Nicolas Girard however who blinked first dropping nines and ended any hope of France reclaiming the World title they achieved in Jakarta 1995 – which was the first edition that included the compound teams event – whilst the last three arrows by India all hitting 10 to make it [235-233].

“We started slow,” said Rishabh who had lost the mixed team final with Jyothi Surekha Vennam. “We were two points down in the first round but I talked to my team, saying ‘it’s still three more rounds and there’s nothing to lose because [India] compound men’s team for the first time is in this event.”

“When the match got close, the hope started to build up, and then it changed to, ‘now it’s time, we have to get the gold.’”

“Then eventually in the last rotation, France dropped two points and and it’s definitely a proud feeling when you are in the last rotation, you shoot well and you win, it’s a different kind of moment to celebrate.”

France will be ruing that fateful fifth end but considering how vastly deep India’s men squad is and their success in World Cups – former World Youth champion Priyansh and Archery World Cup Final silver medallist Abhishek Verma didn’t even make Gwangju – it felt only a matter of time before the country triumphed.

Particularly for 23 year old archer Rishabh who before arriving in Korea dedicated his career to Verma in an emotional post on Instagram, revealing how he helped him get into the sport and buy his first bow.

India are widely known to have one of the most ruthless programs, holding several national trials a year in order to put out the best squad based on recent form for every major tournament, regardless of how well one archer’s curriculum vitae might say.

It is only a nine day turnaround post Gwangju when they compete at trials for the 24th Asian Archery Championships 2025 Dhaka held in November.

Rishabh’s resume however in 2025 has kept him on the compound men’s roster all season outdoors, claiming two bronzes at Shanghai 2025 and Chengdu 2025 World Games individually, bronze and gold at Central Florida 2025 and Shanghai with the men’s team plus another gold at stage one and bronze in fourth stop Madrid alongside Jyothi in the mixed.

Now add onto that long list of medals a gold and silver at the 2025 World Championships.

Vennam has long been the compound woman supreme of India, perhaps Rishabh can hold his fort strongly on the men’s side for years to come.

“We are still on the road to the Olympics, so it’s all good. All the medals we had throughout the World Cup stages showed we are able to do the same on the World Championship level.”

“It adds up that we are on the right path.”

As are Mexico’s compound women’s team.

Since silver at the last World Championships, the country has been a regular feature on podiums at Americas level and internationally, reaching three of the four finals at World Cups this season [two golds, one silver].

World number one Andrea Becerra is the only member left from the team in Berlin but it was Mariana Bernal who had the most eye catching performance at 5.18 Democracy Square against the USA [236-231].

Out of Becerra and Adriana Castillo, the Copa Merengue victor was the only one that clinically shot all eight of her arrows in the golden 10-ring [four Xs], despite constant downpour and sweltering humidity in Korea.

“I really saw this coming, that we were going to make history, because this is our first gold medal for a World Championship,” noted the 22 year old athlete who led behind the shooting line as well as on it, always giving words of encouragement to her teammates. “I just knew we were gonna make history, and I wanted to shoot so well. Since the morning, I was feeling really strong, and I’m so happy.”

“I really wanted like this goal for all of as a team because we’ve fought a lot for this and I’m so happy we did it.”

Tears of joy were shed by Bernal and Becerra in jubilant post-medal scenes but they and Castillo will be fully refocused tomorrow for the compound women individual eliminations.

Kazakhstan’s Adel Zhexenbinova and Roxana Yunussova face the similar challenge too following their historical feat.

With the addition of Viktoriya Lyan – who failed to make tomorrow’s top-64 – they defeated Great Britain 232-229 in the bronze medal match for the Asian nation’s maiden World Championship medal.

Slovenia’s bronze in the men’s also their country’s first.

Compound women’s eliminations take place at the Gwangju International Archery Centre tomorrow morning before the afternoon’s compound men finals returns the action at 5.18 Democracy Square.