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Denmark shoots perfect 40 in last end to win compound mixed team gold at Puebla 2026

11 April 2026

Puebla, Mexico

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Tanja Gellenthien and Mathias Fullerton high-fiving after winning gold at Puebla 2026.

Denmark fought back after being down on three ends to run away with the compound mixed team gold at the first stage of the 2026 World Cup in Puebla, in what could be a rehearsal for the same final at the LA28 Olympic Games.

Up until the final end of four, Sanne De Laat and Mike Schloesser were ahead on the scoreboard at 118-117, which included two perfect ends from both archers, whilst Mathias Fullerton and Tanja Gellenthien dropped 39 consecutively.

In the shadow of Puebla’s historic cathedral though, the Danish duo maximised their abilities at 50 metres by garnering a perfect end of 40 in the fourth end, while a 38 from their opponents meant Netherlands ended up on the losing side of the scoreboard, 157-156.

Against a combined team of two former World Cup champions in Fullerton and Gellenthien, any arrow in the red was always going to be costly and so it proved.

“All the other shots felt really good like the overall feeling was better than the last finals [at Madrid 2025],” said the gutted De Laat when asked how frustrated she was with the eight. “It’s just that one moment that sucks. I was kind of pulling it and nothing was happening and then one second out the draw came a little bit, it the release aid went off and then it just went high.”

“We’ll definitely try to get some gold there [the next stage in Shanghai].”

One team’s loss was another two’s gain at Zocalo de Puebla on Sunday though, as Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games silver medallists Fullerton and Gellenthien really did clutch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The manner to not be disheartened by what looked like an almost certain loss against the Gwangju 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships gold medallists and finish the match strongly for their seventh international mixed team gold together arguably makes them the leading favourites for LA – if they weren’t already – where compound makes its Olympic debut.

Tanja Gellenthien just after release in the compound mixed team gold medal match at Puebla 2026.

The win also offers some respite personally for the 2025 Indoor World Series Finals Champion Gellenthien, who went out early in the round of 16 earlier this week after seeding high in qualifications at fifth.

The 30-year-old shot fantastic amidst the dry Mexican heat and wind, shooting only one arrow outside the 10-ring and getting three arrows in the X-ring, the central zone within the 10-ring used to break ties in qualification, in her last four shots.

Her form matters more than ever and unlike in previous years, US-based Gellenthien is hoping to travel with Fullerton and the Danish cohort to World Cups as they build to repeat Saturday morning’s success in two years time.

“There’ll be some longer trips to Denmark than there were in the past for sure. We’re looking into it. I’m going to the Madrid one and then maybe going to Denmark the week before and the week after because then I’ll already be acclimated to the time zone.”

“The trip will be a lot shorter and there’s going to be a lot of those trips in my future.”

As Gellenthien and Fullerton returned to winning ways, so did former world number one team of India in the compound women’s gold medal match against fellow giants USA 233-232, after not winning any World Cup golds in 2025.

In a twist, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, Pragati and Jyothi Surekha Vennam were well supported throughout the match by Mexican fans in attendance and in their mixed team bronze encounter – which they lost to USA in another tight contest 155-154 – despite their countries being separated by over 14,000 miles apart.

Competition in Puebla is currently ongoing with compound individual finals in the afternoon.