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Zhu Jingyi leads Chinese podium sweep in recurve women at Puebla 2026

12 April 2026

Puebla, Mexico

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Yu Qi, Zhu Jingyi, and Huang Yuwei waving to the crowd on the podium at Puebla 2026.

It was a fine day for China as Zhu Jingyi topped an all-Chinese recurve women’s individual podium at the first stage of the 2026 Hyundai World Cup in Puebla, beating teammate Yu Qi for her maiden international solo gold medal.

The history was already made on Friday morning when Zhu, Yu and Huang Yuwei made it into the final four, becoming the first ever trio from the country to make it onto the stage at a World Cup with all-Chinese semifinals only avoided due to Zhu meeting Zhong Qixuan in her quarterfinal.

Whoever is in the team, Chinese archers always stress the heightened importance of team events more so than individual honours. But the story of the day has to be focused on the Gwangju 2025 runner-up Zhu who was in scintillating form at Zocalo de Puebla, winning all three of her possible gold medals on Sunday – individual, mixed team and team.

The 19-year-old dropped just one set across her two matches – it being against bronze medallist Huang in the semifinal – and ended her tremendous campaign in Puebla with a perfect end to thrash Yu in straight sets, 6-0.

“I feel like everything wasn’t real, and the procedure was very difficult, but I tried to focus on myself and never give up,” said Zhu, whose hands were shaking with excitement afterwards. “Until the very last moment, nobody can say for sure. Every end is the same. This set [the 30 at the end] was not special. I just try to focus on what I’m doing.”

“Over the years, our continuous efforts to break through our own limits, the support of our coaches in various training programs, and the care and assistance from our leaders have strengthened our confidence.”

China has been Korea’s greatest rivals in recent years in the recurve women’s team event, with the two nations meeting twice last year in gold medal matches at Shanghai and Madrid, as well as at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games two years ago.

Zhu Jingyi aiming against teammate Yu Qi in the recurve women final at Puebla 2026.

Li Jiaman was the only archer to feature in all three, but after three consecutive seasons, the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist – who has been China’s most consistent performer in that time – did not make the four-strong recurve women’s cut this time.

She has flown the flag for China but Zhu broke out of the shadow in Gwangju when she reached the world championships final, coming up short to an in-form – and one of Korea’s many modern-day greats – Kang Chaeyoung that day, 7-3.

A dominance such as three golds in one day, though, is something not even Li has mastered yet, and at just 19, the world is Zhu’s oyster.

Korea is coming, however.

Their intense national trials will have been finished by the time stage two – in Shanghai – comes around next month, and it will be interesting to see how much Zhu has grown from then against any of Korea’s best in a potential medal match.

But this time it will be on her home turf.

“Even though I didn’t get to win, I’m still very happy about it,” Jingyi responded about the difficulty of losing the title of world champion last year. “In the process, I’m constantly learning and improving myself, so that any mistakes made by the shots can be corrected in subsequent training.”

The new energy of 18-year-old Yu as well – whose individual silver and team gold are impressive in her first World Cup – is another aspect to watch, and she too could pose the Koreans a challenge this season.

Brady Ellison emerged victorious in the recurve men’s category, with Sunday’s being his 20th final four on the circuit.

He and Zhu have booked themselves into the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final later this year, which returns to Mexico in September, but there are still three more stages for archers to get their tickets to Saltillo, with Shanghai next up on the tour, beginning on 5 May.