Indians bow out in individual quarters after historic team gold

Gwangju (South Korea): India’s inspiring journey in the men’s compound events at the World Archery Championships came to a dramatic halt in the individual quarterfinals, as gold medallists Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, and Prathamesh Fuge all bowed out — dashing hopes of a clean sweep.

The trio, fresh from winning a historic gold medal in team competition, had been placed in separate quarters of the draw, giving India a genuine shot at defending the individual title. But despite high hopes, none of the three could convert team momentum into individual success.

The most dramatic exit came from newcomer Prathamesh Fuge, who was making his world championship debut and had already stunned world number one Mike Schloesser in the pre-quarterfinals with a flawless 150/150. Riding high on confidence, Fuge led 119-118 through four Ends in his quarterfinal match against Denmark’s world No.2 Mathias Fullerton.

However, a dropped point at the start of the final (fifth) end proved costly. The match ended 148-148, and Fullerton held his nerve in the shoot-off, scoring a perfect 10 to Fuge’s 9.