Mexico made history on Sunday after winning its first-ever gold medal at the World Archery Championships.
The women’s team, made up of Maya Becerra, Mariana Bernal and Adriana Castillo, secured the victory after triumphing over the United States in the final, held in Gwangju, South Korea.
The Mexican team defeated U.S. team members Alexis Ruiz, Olivia Dean and Sydney Sullenberger with a final score of 236-231.
The Mexican archers had to beat several teams before the final. They defeated France in the round of 16 in a sudden-death match. They defeated Denmark 232-231 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they won against Kazakhstan, and in the final, Maya Becerra closed out the competition with a perfect 10 shot to secure the gold medal.
“I knew we were going to make history, and I wanted to do well,” Mariana Bernal said after the victory. “I’ve felt really strong since this morning, and I’m very happy. I really wanted this for the whole team because we’ve fought so hard for it, and I’m very happy to have achieved it.”
Team Mexico has won two gold medals at World Cups (in Central Florida and Shanghai), in addition to the Copa Merengue, which qualified the team for the 2026 Central American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
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In addition to Sunday’s gold medal, Maya Becerra won a bronze medal in the mixed team event alongside Sebastián García after dramatically beating Wei Chang and Jou Huang, of the Chinese Taipei team, with a final score of 158-157.
The World Archery Championships kicked off Sept. 5 and will run through Sept. 12, combining qualification, heats and finals in the recurve and compound categories.
The Mexican delegation is made up of 12 archers participating in various individual and team events. Next are Olympians Alejandra Valencia and Matías Grande’s turns to compete. Both have strong medal prospects.
In Mexico, the World Archery Championships can be enjoyed live via Claro Sports.
