The Indian men’s compound archery team created history on Sunday by winning their first-ever gold medal at the World Championships. The trio of Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge delivered a stunning performance to edge past France 235-233 in a thrilling title clash.

This development came after India’s mixed team, which consisted of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav, signed off with a silver medal after conceding a 155-157 hard loss to the Netherlands in the final.

ALSO READ

Team India pulls through in the decisive round

With the scores tied 176-176 after three sets, the Indian team, seeded second, held its nerve in the decisive round, shooting a superb 59 against France’s 57 to clinch the historic gold. Following this tremendous feat, the youngsters were showered with praise from across the country.

The archery association of India took to X to announce their victory, congratulating the athletes for their stellar effort that made the country proud.

ALSO READ

Meet India’s first-ever compound archery gold medallist team

The young trio of Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge displayed a streak of dominance during their excursion at the World Archery Championship in South Korea. All three athletes exhibited utmost precision throughout the tournament, curating some historic upsets. En route to the final, India had registered impressive wins over Australia, the USA, and Turkey.

Rishabh Yadav, the 23-year-old compound archer, was the only member of the squad who won 2 medals at this year’s World Championship event in South Korea. Yadav was part of both the mixed and men’s compound archery squad in the tournament. After his hard loss against the Netherlands in the mixed events final, Yadav played an instrumental role in the final to mark India’s victory.

Aman Saini, an experienced archer from Delhi, also formed a crucial part of the gold-winning team. Known for his ability to adapt to high-pressure environments, Saini previously won gold at the men’s compound team event at the Asian Championship in 2021. Saini’s journey also serves as an inspiration for many youngsters in sports, as the athlete became an archer by chance after a taekwondo injury forced him to quit the sport.

Prathamesh Fuge, the third prong of India’s men’s compound archery team, has been labelled by many sports experts as India’s next big ‘talent’ in the sport. Fudge became one of the most talked-about young archers in India last year during the national squad selection trial, where he set a new national record with a score of 1429 points. Fudge previously won gold at the men’s individual compound event at the 2022 World Ranking Event in Slovenia