Twenty-two-year-old Chinese recurve archer Li Mengqi has won the men's individual gold at the second stage of the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai, beating reigning Olympic champion Mete Gazoz of Türkiye 6-4 in front of a home crowd. The result is the first senior World Cup individual title for Li, who entered the week ranked outside the global top 50.
Li, shooting in only his second senior international event, ran one of the toughest brackets of the year. He defeated Mexico's Matias Grande in the round of sixteen, Chinese Taipei's Tang Chih-Chun in the quarterfinals, and Korea's Kim Je Deok in the round of eight before edging Turkish No. 2 Berkim Tumer 6-2 in the semifinal. The final against Gazoz, the world No. 3 and Tokyo 2020 individual gold medallist, went down to a tense fifth end before Li sealed the set on three tens.
"I didn't think about having to shoot three 10s. As long as I do my actions well and do what I should do, I feel comfortable," Li told reporters after the match.
Li repeatedly waved away suggestions that his run had broken a domestic drought — China had not won a senior recurve men's World Cup gold since 2019. He framed his result as a single shot in a much longer process.
"I didn't care too much about winning or losing, I just did my best," Li said. "Whether I win or lose, it's up to fate. The more important thing is to be yourself."
Pressed on whether the title signalled a generational shift inside Chinese men's recurve, Li was unwilling to extrapolate. "I don't think it's about breaking this drought. Maybe now we've reached a higher stage but it still takes time," he said. "We have more young people now... it may still take some time to prove it."
Asked how he felt about his first senior world title, Li offered a smile and a shrug. "I don't really feel much about it, I think it's pretty normal."
Earlier in the day, Li had teamed with Huang Yuwei to win the mixed-team recurve gold over Mexico, a second medal that lifted China to the top of the Shanghai medal table.
For Gazoz, the silver was a third final defeat in his last four global appearances, but the Turkish star remains favourite for the European stage in Antalya next week, where Türkiye will headline the home programme.
The World Cup tour now leaves China for European Outdoor Championships duty in Antalya from May 18 to 24, ahead of the third stage in Madrid in early June. Li's modest framing notwithstanding, the Shanghai win lifts him into Olympic conversations for Los Angeles 2028 — the conversation he, at least, did not want to start.
