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Spain trumps China in shootoff to conclude archery epic at Madrid 2026

12 juillet 2026

Madrid, Spain

Vrai nom:

Elia Canales and Andres Temino Mediel on the recurve mixed team top podium at Madrid 2026.

Elia Canales and Andres Temiño Mediel had a day they'll never forget as they brilliantly won the recurve mixed team gold medal match at Madrid 2026 - stage four of the Hyundai Archery World Cup - in the most dramatic fashion.

In what will be remembered as a classic, Canales and Temiño Mediel rewarded their fantastic home fans at the National Complutense Stadium by shooting perfectly in the shoot-off against China's Li Mengqi and Zhu Jingyi, turning back the clock to their form at the Gwangju 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships - which they triumphed in - against two of the most in-form archers in their respective divisions.

Both Mengqi and Jingyi have won individual World Cups this year - in the case of World runner-up Jingyi it's two, Puebla [stage 1] and Antalya stage 3].

But Spain were determined to leave their home World Cup with at least one gold. Whether it was because they were in their capital or because they had their watching family and friends there, they made sure to have their moment in the sun - metaphorically and literally, as the heat failed to let up once again in Madrid.

“Well, it’s a really great feeling, isn’t it?” said Temiño Mediel before going through a raft of photos with fans, teammates and family on the field of play. “Having everyone here cheering us on, my family, all my teammates, it was really exciting to be able to win at home.”

“We were already dreaming about it last year, and this year we’ve achieved it, so now it’s time to enjoy it.”

“The crowd is here, my family is here, my friends are here, it motivates me so much more,” echoed the double 70-metre round world record holder Canales. “It’s true that there were tense moments when I thought I’d just get a perfect ten and think, ‘What if I mess up?’ but then I said, ‘No, no, I trust my shot, I trust my teammate, I trust my work and everything I’ve done to be here.’”

“I just wanted to enjoy the moment, that’s all.”

Andres Temino Mediel aiming in the recurve mixed team gold medal match at Madrid 2026.

Even if Spain had won the contest outright at 5-3, it still would've deserved to be regarded as one of, if not the best match of the year.

Whilst wind has been an issue for many this week in Madrid, it was at its least strong for the morning session, making fine shooting conditions for all the team medal matches.

Winning the first set 38-37, the Spanish duo didn't get any of their next arrows in the 10-ring, with Canales even getting one in the red seven ring. Tying the third set at 38-38 made the scores 3-3 heading into the fourth and final end.

If that wasn't nerve-wracking enough for the Spanish supporters, Canales' seventh arrow of the match went right into the nine, whereas China landed two Xs and a 10. At the very last moment though, Shanghai 2025 champion Mengqi dropped low into the nine despite Jingyi's words of encouragement almost literally in his ear before he shot.

As the World Championship gold medallists had an X and a 10 in their last two arrows, a shoot-off was guaranteed and, like last year in Gwangju, they kept their nerve, arguably a tougher task than then due to the heavily influential Spanish crowd.

“In the end, I know they’ll [her family] still love me, win or lose, so I just want them to be able to enjoy this experience with us, and the fact that it’s in Madrid makes it easier for everyone to be there,” replied Canales when asked how much harder it was to concentrate with every arrow being cheered before and after it was released. “I think the first thing I'm going to do is go out with my family, with my parents, to eat, to celebrate with them, and then in the afternoon to rest,” added current recurve men world champion Temiño Mediel who impressively shot six of his arrows in the 10 or X.

“We still have one competition left this year [Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games] so today we'll celebrate these days and then refocus a bit on our goal.”

Competition in Madrid concludes with recurve individual finals in the afternoon.