The 2026 Hyundai Motor Archery World Cup Shanghai Leg officially kicked off with a press conference held on May 4. From May 5 to 10, over 400 athletes and coaches from 42 countries and regions will converge along the Huangpu River, showcasing their skills on a unique “sports plus urban landscape” stage.
As an international Class A event organized by World Archery, the Shanghai Leg features 10 events including men’s and women’s recurve and compound individual and team competitions, as well as mixed team events. Qualification and elimination rounds from May 5 to 8 will take place at Yuanshen Sports Centre, while the finals from May 9 to 10 will be held at the Pudong Riverside Financial Plaza, blending athletic competition with the city’s iconic skyline.
The competition lineup is star-studded, ranging from emerging talents to legendary veterans. With the compound mixed team event included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, this World Cup serves as a crucial platform for athletes to prepare and compete.
The host Chinese team delivered an impressive performance in the season opener, securing 3 golds, 1 silver, and 2 bronzes. The women’s recurve team comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuxuan, and Yu Tian won team gold, while Zhu Jingyi also claimed the individual recurve women’s title. Zhu teamed with Sun Jingxuan to win the recurve mixed team gold. The men’s recurve squad featuring Qin Wangyu, Sun Jingxuan, Li Mengqi, and Li Yuxuan is also poised to make an impact on home soil.
In the compound events, China’s women’s team (Ma Shujia, Wang Yue, Wei Fangyao, Wu Ni’er) and men’s team (Liao Jiahao, Liu Xiangyi, Qi Xiangshuo, Shi Jingyu) will make their home debut, aiming to challenge world powerhouses.
International stars are equally impressive. In women’s recurve, Korean Olympic champion Kang Chaeyoung leads her team, alongside world No. 2 Casey Kaufhold of the USA and Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia Trujillo. In men’s recurve, Korea fields a formidable trio of Kim Woojin, Lee Woo Seok, and Kim Je Deok, while world No. 1 Marcus D’Almeida of Brazil and world No. 2 Brady Ellison of the USA are strong contenders.
Women’s compound features the world’s top three: Mexico’s Andrea Becerra, Great Britain’s Ella Gibson, and India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam. In men’s compound, defending champion Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands faces challenges from world No. 2 Mathias Fullerton of Denmark and world No. 3 Nicolas Girard of France, with strong teams from India and Mexico also in contention.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Archery World Cup and the 15th season of the Shanghai Leg in Pudong. World Archery Executive Director Juan Carlos Holgado noted, “China is a huge market for archery. We have been trying to use the event to promote the sport in China, and it has developed rapidly over the past few years. We are integrating new approaches through a series of ‘cultural, commercial, tourism, sports, and exhibition’ activities to drive the sport’s growth.”
In the lead-up to the event, activities such as the Citizens’ Archery Carnival have engaged over 20,000 residents across shopping malls, office buildings, communities, and schools, immersing them in the sport’s appeal. During the competition, venues like First Eight Companions, Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall, Guanfu Museum, Zhendan Museum, and Florensia Town will offer ticket-linked promotions, seamlessly blending elite archery with urban life, extending the event’s impact from “competition economy” to “city economy.”
