Ella Gibson put her season’s individual woes behind her as she won the compound women’s title at the fourth stage of this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup in Madrid.
The Brit edged India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam by a single point, 148-147, after leading throughout the match. Vennam’s second perfect 30 came in the final end – but by then, Gibson’s lead was enough to seal gold.
The result ends a barren spell for the European Champion, who had only a bronze from The Vegas Shoot to her name in 2025 before Saturday. She had also failed to reach the final four at any of the three previous World Cup stages – Central Florida, Shanghai and Antalya.
A disappointing run, at least by her standards.
“In 2022, I won pretty much every event I went to – and obviously it’s always amazing to win – but I think when you really do put your blood, sweat and a lot of tears in it, it means that much more,” said Gibson, who beat India’s Parneet Kaur in the semifinals, 146-143. “When you’re there and you’re dealing with doubts or not as much confidence, but you manage to put it aside and bring out a win – it’s incredible.”
“I found in matches that at times I was probably overthinking it and allowing myself to get buffeted more by the wind, trying to aim off in that perfect spot, shoot it perfectly and make sure I didn’t shoot a nine.”
“Today I decided that I wasn’t going to be cautious or careful with it. If I was starting, even if the wind would move me, I was going to pick a shot, pick a spot, commit to it, and if it was the wrong shot and the wrong decision, then that’s life.”
Gibson, 25, had already qualified for the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Nanjing thanks to her number two circuit ranking – win or lose in Madrid.
And before the event, much had been made of the battle between Gibson and Andrea Becerra for the compound women’s number one spot in the Sanlida World Rankings.
Becerra currently leads both thanks to her two World Cup stage wins this year (Florida and Antalya) and has expressed her determination to keep the top spot ahead of the World Games in Chengdu next month.
Gibson, who once held the world number one position for nearly 1000 consecutive days, said she’s learnt to let go of that pressure.
“I spoke to my coach [Ron Van Der Hoff] about it this morning because I was a little worried about it – like maybe it will, maybe it won’t,” she said.
“He told me honestly: ‘That’s the least of your worries. You’ve had it for three years. It doesn’t matter if someone else wants it’. Number one is just the consequences of winning doing your shooting, so focus on that and if it’s meant to be, it will be.”
With the World Games and Hyundai World Archery Championships both on the horizon, the rivalry between Gibson and Becerra looks far from over.
Meanwhile, in the compound men’s final, four-time Archery World Cup Champion Mike Schloesser added another major win to his collection – defeating Türkiye’s Emircan Haney to take gold just hours after winning the mixed team title with Sanne de Laat.
Schloesser, widely known as ‘Mister Perfect’, also recently became a father with the birth of his daughter Luna – and said this medal felt particularly emotional.
“You have a certain expectation of the training routine, getting ready for competitions, but it wasn’t like that,” admitted Schloesser, who revealed he was fearing his performances coming into Madrid. “You’re not in your A-game, but during the week I had a lot of practice to gain my level and confidence back.”
Competition in Madrid concludes with recurve finals on Sunday.
Podiums: Madrid 2025
Full results on the event page.
Compound men
- Mike Schloesser, Netherlands
- Emircan Haney, Türkiye
- Nicolas Girard, France
Compound women
- Ella Gibson, Great Britain
- Jyothi Surekha Vennam, India
- Han Seungyeon, Korea
Watch coverage from Madrid with a subscription to archery+.
