Gwangju (South Korea): India’s remarkable run in the men’s compound events at the World Archery Championships came to an abrupt end in the individual quarterfinals, as gold medalists Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge were eliminated, thwarting hopes for a clean sweep. The trio, having recently secured a historic gold medal in team competition, was placed in different sections of the draw, providing India with a legitimate opportunity to defend the individual title. However, despite the high expectations, none were able to translate their team success into individual victories.
The most notable departure was newcomer Prathamesh Fuge, who was making his world championship debut and had already impressed by defeating world number one Mike Schloesser in the pre-quarterfinals with a perfect score of 150/150. With confidence soaring, Fuge led 119-118 through four ends in his quarterfinal match against Denmark’s world No.2 Mathias Fullerton. Unfortunately, a dropped point at the start of the final (fifth) end proved detrimental. The match concluded at 148-148, with Fullerton maintaining his composure in the shoot-off, scoring a perfect 10 compared to Fuge’s 9.