Kuznetsov takes three golds on his Asia Cup debut

Sixteen-year-old Pavel Kuznetsov of Kazakhstan won three compound gold medals at Stage II of the 2026 Asia Cup in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, which finished on Thursday, according to World Archery's report on the event.

Kuznetsov took the individual title by beating his Kazakh team-mate Nikita Ivlev 145-143 in the final. He then added gold in the men's team, where Kazakhstan (Kuznetsov, Ivlev and Islam Serikuly) beat Bangladesh's Himu Bachhar, Nawaz Ahmed Rakib and Md Thoriqul Islam 230-224. His third came in the mixed team, partnering Elmira Raissova to a 153-142 win over Bangladesh's Bonna Akter and Rakib. Rakib did collect an individual bronze, beating his countryman Thoriqul Islam 145-139.

Bangladesh had its own compound highlights. Bonna Akter won the women's individual gold, edging Kazakhstan's Milana Burleva 145-143, and Most Kulsum Akther Mone took bronze over Ayazhan Zhaksylyk, 143-139. Bangladesh's women then beat Kazakhstan 230-220 for team gold, with Sri Lanka taking team bronze by a single point, 219-218, over the host nation Iraq.

The margins matter here. Both individual compound finals were decided by two points, with a 150 maximum, which is the difference of two arrows scoring a point lower. For a 16-year-old on his first Asia Cup, three golds in one week is a notable start to a senior career, and it keeps Kazakhstan's compound programme in the conversation with the established Asian powers.

Recurve: D'Amour the lone non-Asian champion

In the recurve events, Nicholas D'Amour of the United States won the men's individual title, beating Iran's Mohammadhossein Golshani Asl 6-2. World Archery notes he was the only non-Asian archer in the competition. Iran's Mobina Fallah took the women's individual by defeating Bangladesh's Saima Salah Uddin 6-4.

The team events produced two storylines. Bangladesh's men beat Kazakhstan 6-2 for gold, with Iraq taking bronze over Uzbekistan 5-3. Kazakhstan had won Stage I. In the women's team, Azerbaijan beat defending champions Kazakhstan in a shoot-off after the teams finished level in regulation.

Lausanne opens the indoor season

The indoor circuit starts today. The Swiss Open Lausanne runs 30 October to 1 November at the World Archery Excellence Centre, the fourth straight year Lausanne has opened the indoor season. It is the first of eight ranking events in the Hyundai Indoor World Series, which runs to the Finals in Las Vegas on 14 March 2027.

There are 379 archers from 30 countries, with France the largest delegation at 92. Barebow makes its Swiss Open debut this year, alongside recurve and compound in elite, under-21 and 50+ categories. Winners receive CHF 2,500 and the event carries 250 ranking points.

Compound men are led by Denmark's Mathias Fullerton, world number one and a silver medallist at this year's World Cup Final in Saltillo, with Mike Schloesser (the 2023 Swiss Open winner) in the field. On the recurve side, Czechia's Marie Horackova, world number one, World Cup Final champion and defending Swiss Open champion, returns.

Caribbean Championships: a 1988 Olympian wins three

In Providence, Guyana, 58-year-old Tatyana Muntyan of the US Virgin Islands, who competed at the Seoul 1988 Olympics, won three golds at the Caribbean Championships. She qualified first in the women's individual recurve with 556 points, 128 clear of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Karen Palmer. She then beat Guyana's Julie-Ann Williams and Palmer, both 6-0, for the title. She also won two doubles golds, one with 18-year-old Goddess George, whom she coaches, and one with Bruce Arnold. Some 202 archers from 13 countries took part.

Kang Yeonseo, 14, and Korea's compound future

World Archery has profiled Kang Yeonseo, the 14-year-old from Bucheon who is the youngest archer ever selected for Korea's senior squad. This year she won two bronze medals at the Asian Games and a team bronze at the Madrid World Cup. At the Asian Games she shot consecutive perfect 150s in her first two elimination matches, the second setting a world-record match score for under-18 compound women. Compound debuts at LA28 through the mixed team event, which explains Korea's interest in developing young talent early.

What to watch

Finals day at Lausanne is Sunday 1 November: barebow, 50+ and under-21 finals start at 10:30 local time, elite finals at 14:00, streamed on archery+. Early indoor results will show whether Fullerton and Horackova carry their outdoor rankings into the 18-metre season. Asia Cup Stage III moves to Hangzhou in November, where Kuznetsov and Bangladesh's compound squads will be tested again.

Sources