Photo by World Archery
GWANGJU, Korea – USA pairing KJ Polish and Ben Thompson struck gold at the World Archery Para Championships, while Jason Tabansky followed up his 2024 Paralympic Games gold with 2025 World Championship silver.
Seeded three, Polish and Thompson fought their way to the gold medal match in Compound Open Men Doubles with wins over Korea (153-152), Indonesia (157-153) and Canada (152-147).
Between them and the top of the podium were top seeds China. Trailing by a point after the first end, the double act from the United States made the most of a slip from China in end number two – and a seven from Yicheng Zhang – to stay strong and triumph 156-153. Polish landed eight 10s from his eight arrows!
For Thompson, this was a second team gold (he also won with Stutzman and Andre Shelby in 2015), to go with the individual gold he won in 2019. He is also a two-time bronze medalist (individual and team in 2017). This also marks an upgrade for the USA and Polish from two years ago in Czech Republic, when he and Matt Stutzman came away with bronze.
Tabansky tackled Tianxin Zhang in the W1 Open Men gold medal match, on the final day of competition in Korea, bringing together the top two archers from qualification.
Tianxin was top seed and bronze medalist in Paris last year but denied Tabansky back-to-back golds at major championships with a 138-132 victory.
For Tabansky, this marked a first medal at a world championships for an archer who was appearing at his third World Archery Para Championships after 2019 and 2023.
Other highlights from the 2025 World Archery Para Championships included fifth for Janice Walth in the Visually Impaired 1 division, Polish in the individual Compound Men Open and for Catalina Bustamante and Brandi Iannoli in Compound Women Open Doubles.
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