French team lost to India in tense world championship final battle
Gwangju
India made history at the World Archery Championships when its compound men’s team won the country’s first-ever gold medal in the event. The trio of Aman Saini, Rishabh Yadav, and Prathamesh Bhalchandra Fuge defeated France in the final on Sunday. The French team, which had last reached a world championship gold medal match in 1995, fell short as the Indians held their nerve in a tense battle.
The journey to gold was filled with close contests. In the second round, India overcame Australia in a shoot-off after both teams tied at 232. The Indians won the decider 30-28. In the quarterfinal, they edged past the United States 234-233 and later defeated Turkiye 234-232 in the semifinal to reach the summit clash.
For Rishabh Yadav, the day was extra special. Earlier, he partnered Jyothi Surekha Vennam in the compound mixed team final. The Indian pair fought hard but lost to the Dutch team of Mike Schloesser and Sanne de Laat, settling for silver. This gave India a second podium finish in the championships.
Rishabh and Jyothi have been in fine form this year. They set a world record in Shanghai in May and won gold in Florida, followed by a bronze in Madrid. In Gwangju, they impressed again, scoring a perfect 160 against Germany and overcoming Chinese Taipei in the semifinal before losing in the final.
This silver is India’s second mixed team medal at a world championship, after Jyothi and Abhishek Verma’s silver in Yankton in 2021.
