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India emerged as a force to reckon with in the fourth Archery World Cup stage of 2025, hosted in Madrid, Spain. Amidst the challenging conditions of intense heat which led to late start of the event at the Madrid’s Vallehermoso Stadium, the Indian contingent reigned supreme. The participants gave out one of the best performances in the tournament as they made history and achieved new heights not only in the mixed team events but in the individual contests as well.
India dominated in the compound archery event as Rishabh Yadav along with Jyothi Surekha Vennam etched a world record in the qualification round. The Indian duo combined for a sensational score of 1431 with 70 Xs, surpassing the previous world record of 1429, held by Denmark’s Tanja Gellenthien and Mathia Fullerton from Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games. “It’s special because the mixed team is newly added to the Olympics and we’ve been having such small achievements over time,” said 22-year-old Yadav on renewing the world record.
The duo of Rishabh and Jyothi looked in sublime form and maintained their consistency throughout the qualification rounds. This stunning performance has made sure that they are certainly one of the favourites for the LA 2028 Olympic Games in the mixed compound category.
A day to remember for Indians in individual events as well
Beyond the mixed team fireworks, India had much to celebrate about the individual compound qualification rounds as well. The world record stole the headline, but 2023 Asian Championship mixed silver medallist Rishabh individually put his best 72-arrow performance on archery’s premier international circuit. He stayed on top of the 85-athlete field and was on course to beat Braden Gellenthein’s 718 individual compound men’s world record at 30 arrows with a perfect 300. But his 68 out of 72 arrows in the 10s ring led to his score being 716, a personal best for Shanghai 2025 stage two bronze medallist. In men’s compound qualification, the trio of Rishabh, Priyansh, and Aman combined for a total of 2135 poins, securing a first place.
In the compound women’s, Asian Games champion Jyothi set an international personal best at 715, simultaneously grabbing top seed in her event. The women's team led by Jyothi also registered a top spot in team qualification with a combined score of 2125. As the elimination round begins, all eyes will be on whether the Indian contingent can convert this historic qualification into podium finishes.
