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Zhu Jingyi wins second World Cup gold of season at Antalya 2026

14 June 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

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Zhu Jingyi doing the peace sign with coach Kwon Yonghak smiling next to her at Antalya 2026.

Zhu Jingyi continued her meteoric rise by defeating two Olympic medallists on her way to a second recurve women’s individual gold medal of the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup season at Antalya.

Only hours after defeating Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion An San 6-0 in the semifinals with three sets of 29 points, the 19-year-old then beat Mexico’s Paris 2024 Olympic team bronze medallist Ana Paula Vazquez Flores 7-3 to secure the sixth international gold medal of her career.

That tally already includes the recurve women’s individual title from stage one in Puebla in April.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Zhu is now confirmed to represent China at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, and victory in Antalya further strengthened her status as one of the favourites for gold later this year.

“I’m very happy because I was very relaxed during this match,” she said after finishing the final with three 10s. “No matter what difficulties I encountered, I was able to handle them well, which will allow me to perform even better in future matches.”

“There wasn’t exactly a problem, because I felt I couldn’t stop my opponent from shooting well, so I could only try my best, do my best and enjoy the match.”

While some athletes struggle to hide emotion after major victories, Zhu already carries herself with remarkable composure despite being only 19.

India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara, for example, was visibly emotional after winning recurve men’s gold earlier in the afternoon, but Zhu appeared calm throughout both the semifinal and final.

Her confidence on the shooting line has become one of the defining characteristics of her rapid rise.

Zhu Jingyi aiming in the recurve women individual final at Antalya 2026.

There is also a likeable personality to Zhu, shown in moments such as waving to the crowd at the Gloria Sports Arena to cheer louder when her name was announced before the semifinals.

The Gwangju 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships silver medallist also appears to have developed a close relationship with China recurve women head coach Kwon Yonghak, who jokingly pressed a small pig teddy bear against her face after she defeated An San.

“I think it’s about team honour,” Zhu said when asked why 2026 is turning into such a successful season for her. “Everyone put in a lot of effort, so I’m very grateful to our coach, who has worked incredibly hard, and the leadership, who also consistently encouraged us.”

“All the honours we’ve achieved are thanks to them.”

Humble as she may be, Zhu’s performances are rapidly making her one of the standout figures in international recurve archery.

Combining elite results with an engaging personality has already made the 19-year-old an important ambassador for the sport in China, and there is still a feeling that even more could be to come.

Could that include Asian Games gold later this year?

At this stage, it feels entirely possible if she can maintain the consistency that has defined her season so far.

Before then, Zhu and the world’s leading archers will reunite in Madrid next month for the final stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit ahead of the World Cup Final in Saltillo in September.