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First Hyundai Archery World Cup compound mixed finals confirmed after LA28 announcement

11 April 2025

Central Florida, USA

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Italy and Chinese Taipei facing in compound mixed team semifinal at Central Florida 2025.

The first compound mixed team medal matches of the 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup were confirmed in Central Florida, just days after the event was officially added to the programme for the LA28 Olympic Games.

Chinese Taipei and India will face off in Saturday’s gold medal match, one that carries greater weight than usual, thanks to Wednesday’s historic announcement.

“We are very excited that we made it, especially after getting the news about the compound mixed team going to the Olympics,” said Chinese Taipei’s Huang I-Jou, who alongside Chen Chieh-Lun, one of the four compound men’s individual semifinalists, defeated Italy in the semifinal. “So, we were more excited about this news and about the match.”

“I’ve trained for quite a long time and waited for this exciting moment that we have the chance to compete in the Olympics. I’m really excited about that, and I will do my best to get there.”

As ecstatic as 2023 Asian Championships bronze medallist Huang was – securing a podium finish the week after missing out in the compound women’s team bronze against the USA earlier this week – it was still a tense end to the morning session.

In a high-quality semifinal that saw each team drop 14 arrows in the X-ring (the central zone within the 10-ring used to break ties in qualification), Italy and Chinese Taipei went to a shoot-off after they finished level at 156-156. Chen and Michea Godano both hit the X-ring; Huang and Elisa Roner shot 10s. It came down to which of the men’s arrows was closest to the centre.

The judges sided with Chinese Taipei, much to the visible frustration of the Italian team.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav set to shoot for compound mixed team gold at Central Florida 2025

“We were very lucky that we had the opportunity to do the practice round,” explained 2019 World Archery Championships team gold medallist Huang, on getting one of two first-round byes. “Also, we tried a different order, because before I always shot first, but during the practice end we decided to change.”

Chinese Taipei’s next opponents Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav were exceptionally precise too. The Indian pair shot 156 against Spain and Denmark – whose line-up included Indoor World Series Champion Tanja Gellenthien and world number two Mathias Fullerton – and then posted an incredible 159 in the semifinal against Slovenia, just one off a perfect score.

For Yadav, Saturday’s final marks a major milestone: he has yet to win an Archery World Cup medal, as he and powerhouse India build toward LA28.

“Initially, when the news was [compound] was not added, we were very disappointed, but not disheartened, because we knew we had many more events to focus on,” said the Nimes silver medallist. “But now finally, when we have the Olympic tag, we can finally get a missing medal for India.”

“We have high hopes in compound, and we hope to keep those hopes.”

In the recurve mixed team event, Paris 2024 bronze medallist Mexico will contest the gold medal match against Spain, whilst Olympic silver medallist Germany faces China.

Action continues this afternoon in Central Florida with recurve individual eliminations.