Chengdu (China) – Archer Rishabh Yadav delivered India its first medal at the ongoing World Games 2025 by clinching a bronze in the men’s individual compound archery event on Saturday. The medal is also India’s first-ever individual archery medal at the World Games and only the second overall in the sport’s history at the multi-sport event.
The 27-year-old from India defeated compatriot Abhishek Verma 149-147 in an all-Indian bronze medal clash. The match was a high-pressure contest from start to finish, with both archers showcasing exceptional precision.
Yadav edged Verma 30-29 in a tense opening end before both traded 29s in the second. The third end saw flawless shooting from both, each scoring a perfect 30. The turning point came in the fourth end when Yadav again edged Verma 30-29, extending his lead to two points. Despite both archers finishing with another perfect 30 in the final end, Yadav maintained his advantage to seal the win.
Earlier in the tournament, Abhishek Verma had entered the knockout rounds as the fifth seed with a qualification score of 710, while Yadav qualified in 10th place with 707 points. In the gold medal match, the Netherlands’ Mike Schloesser defeated USA’s Curtis Broadnax 150-148 to secure the top prize, leaving Broadnax with silver.
Yadav’s road to bronze included victories over Riku Van Tonder of New Zealand and Julio Barillas of Guatemala, followed by a 147-145 quarter-final win against Yagiz Sezgin of Turkiye. His medal hopes for gold ended in the semi-finals when he narrowly lost 145-147 to Broadnax.
Abhishek Verma, a two-time individual Asian Games silver medallist, began his campaign with a bye in the first round, then beat Puerto Rico’s Jean Pizarro 149-143 and America’s Sawyer Sullivan 148-145. His semi-final challenge ended with a 145-148 defeat to eventual champion Schloesser.
In other results, Indian archers Parneet Kaur and Madhura Dhamangaonkar exited in the quarter-finals of the women’s individual compound event. Madhura also paired with Verma in the mixed team compound competition, but the duo bowed out in the quarter-finals on Friday.
India had previously won only one medal in archery at the World Games — a mixed team bronze claimed by Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam at the Birmingham edition in 2022.
This year, India’s 17-member squad in Chengdu is competing in a range of disciplines including billiards, racquetball, roller sports, and wushu, alongside archery. With Yadav’s podium finish setting the tone, the contingent will be looking to add more medals in the days ahead.
