Compound Archery in the Men's World Games awards a bronze medal to Rishabh Yadav
In a thrilling finish at the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China, Rishabh Yadav of India secured the bronze medal in the men's individual compound archery event. This marks India's first individual archery medal at the World Games.
The Dutch archer, Mike Schloesser, won the gold medal with a perfect score of 150-148 against Curtis Broadnax from the USA in the final. Broadnax took home the silver medal.
Yadav's road to the bronze medal was not easy. In the bronze medal match, he defeated his fellow Indian archer, Abhishek Verma, with a close score of 149-147.
The match between Yadav and Verma was a closely contested one. In the opening end, Yadav scored 30 points to Verma's 29. In the second and third ends, both archers scored 29 points each. In the fourth end, Yadav extended his lead to two points with a score of 30-29. In the fifth end, both archers scored perfect 30 points again, with Yadav maintaining his lead.
Verma, who was fifth in qualification with a total of 710 points, had high hopes for the medal but fell short in the bronze medal match. Rishabh Yadav, who was 10th in qualification with a total of 707 points, surprised many with his performance.
This was not the only archery medal for India at the World Games. At the last World Games held in Birmingham in 2022, Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won a bronze medal in the mixed team compound archery event. However, this year, both Verma and Madhura Dhamangaonkar failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals of the mixed team compound archery event. Additionally, Madhura Dhamangaonkar and Parneet Kaur also failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals of the women's individual compound archery event.
A total of 17 Indian athletes are competing in the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, not just in archery but also in billiards, racquetball, roller sports, and wushu.
With this bronze medal, Rishabh Yadav has made history for India in the archery world, and his performance is sure to inspire many young archers in the country. The second overall archery medal for India at the World Games was also an individual medal, and it is a testament to the growing strength of Indian archery on the international stage.
News of Rishabh Yadav's stunning victory in the men's individual compound archery event at the World Games 2025 in Chengdu has sent reverberations across the sports world. His opinion on the importance ofperseverance in sport was shared during a post-match interview, stating, "I believe every game is an opportunity to learn and grow, and this bronze medal is a testament to that." Meanwhile, games such as billiards, racquetball, roller sports, and wushu, alongside archery, are keeping Indian athletes busy in various competitions at the World Games 2025.
