Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam break mixed team world record in Madrid
It was a day to remember for Rishabh Yadav as he topped compound men’s qualifying and set a new world record alongside compound women’s top seed Jyothi Surekha Vennam at Madrid 2025, the fourth stage of this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup.
Yadav led the 85-athlete field from start to finish at Vallehermoso Stadium and was on pace to challenge Braden Gellenthien‘s individual world record of 718 at 30 arrows, having opened with a perfect 300.
He eventually closed with 68 of his 72 arrows in the 10-ring – including 35 Xs – to finish on 716, a new personal best and his highest score on the international circuit.
While the individual record narrowly escaped him, Yadav did come away with a world-best mark in the mixed team event. He and Jyothi shot a combined 1431 to surpass the previous mixed team world record of 1429, held by Denmark’s Tanja Gellenthien and Mathias Fullerton since the Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games.
“It’s special because the [compound] mixed team is newly added to the Olympics, and we’ve been having such small achievements over time,” said Yadav, who also won mixed team gold with Jyothi at the season opener in Central Florida.
“We didn’t shoot mixed team together at the last two stages, but now we’re back – and we both shot well. It’s interesting and we’re happy with the consistency we have together.”
Yadav, often a bundle of energy on the field, made no effort to hide what this milestone meant. As soon as his bow passed inspection, he ran straight to celebrate with Jyothi – even taking a moment to talk to her parents on the phone.
It was not only a world record for Yadav but also his best-ever 72-arrow qualifying score in a World Cup – impressive considering the late start (16h30 local) and searing heat in Madrid.
“The rhythm kicks in and you just keep going until the last 10 hits,” said the 2023 Asian Championships mixed team silver medallist. “People around you are saying, ‘You need to do it like this, stay calm,’ and I’m like, ‘OK, I know what I’m doing.’”
“I shot it [716] earlier in the nationals, and now again here – so I’m happy I’m able to keep it consistent. It was well throughout, and it was interesting and playful.”
A World Cup pole, a personal best and a world record – not a bad day’s work for the 22-year-old, who is only in his second season on the international circuit and has already qualified for the Indian team heading to the Hyundai World Archery Championships in Gwangju later this year.
His world-record teammate Jyothi, the reigning Asian Games Champion, is also Korea-bound. She matched Yadav’s effort by posting a personal best of 715 in compound women’s qualifying – securing the number one seed.
“I’ve been shooting good this year, but somewhere I just felt there was something left behind,” said Jyothi, who hadn’t poled in the prior three stages this year. “But today, since the morning practice, I’ve felt really good with the way I was shooting, and I just wanted to shoot the same way in the qualification.”
Competition continues in Madrid on Wednesday with compound team eliminations in the morning and recurve qualifying in the afternoon.
Top seeds: Madrid 2025
Full results on the event page.
Compound men
- Rishabh Yadav, India – 716
- Nico Wiener, Austria – 715
- Tim Jevsnik, Slovenia – 714
Ten archers shot 710+. Top-64 cut at 694.
Compound women
- Jyothi Surekha Vennam, India – 715
- Andrea Becerra, Mexico – 711
- Ella Gibson, Great Britain – 708
Nine archers shot 700+. There was no top-64 cut.
