On the penultimate day of The World Games 2025, old and new faces emerged victorious in Chengdu.
The familiar strength of Germany’s Canoe Polo programme shone through, winning both Men and Women’s gold medal matches convincingly.
Alicia Baumert (FRA) however bucked the TWG trend in the Women’s Barebow gold medal match as she outshot Cinzia Noziglia (ITA), the previous winner of the last two editions.
There was a new face and country for gold as well in the form of Benin. Marcel Gbetable won the African country their first ever gold medal in The World Games, becoming the 80th nation to appear on Chengdu podiums. The figure was 73 in TWG Birmingham 2022 and amazingly there’s still one more day left in Sichuan.
Archery
At the 2025 World Games Chengdu, France’s Alicia Baumert clinched gold in the women's barebow finals, outscoring Italy’s Cinzia Noziglia 50-43 with poise and precision.
This was after a thunderstorm halted shooting with play suspended for an hour.
In a nail-biting showdown for bronze, USA’s Fawn Girard edged past Nicky Fairweather (AUS) 50-42, adding a dramatic finish to the women’s podium.
In the men's barebow gold-medal match, Italy’s Simone Barbieri and Australia’s Simon John Fairweather – husband of Nicky and the Olympic champion from Sydney 2000 in recurve – ended the regulatory four ends at 54-54, with Barbieri ultimately prevailing in the shoot-off.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Cesar Vera powered past Erik Jonsson (SWE) 55-40 to secure the bronze, capping off the archery action at Qinglong Lake Park at TWG 2025.
Boules
Marcel Gbetable (BEN) seized the Men’s Petanque Precision Shooting gold, outshooting Italy’s Andrea Chiapello 29–25 and further enhancing his profile after already making history for his country as part of Benin’s first ever mixed doubles World Champions.
In the men’s bronze match, Thailand’s Ratchata Khamdee (THA), a reigning world champion in men’s singles, defeated Mohamed Khaled Bougriba (TUN) 44–32.
On the women’s side, Mouna Beji Ep Mattoussi (TUN)—herself a former world champion—clinched Tunisia’s maiden TWG 2025 gold with a 35–31 victory over China’s Yan Linlin (CHN).
The bronze went to Thailand’s Nantawan Fueangsanit (THA), who bested France’s Sandrine Poinsot 28–23 to ensure a second podium finish for her nation on the day.
Canoe Polo
At the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Centre, Germany (GER) delivered a commanding performance in both finals, with the women’s team shutting out New Zealand (NZL) 4–0 in the gold-medal match..
In the men’s final, Germany (GER) again rose to the occasion, defeating Italy (ITA) 3–1 to secure another title and add to their legacy of World Games success.
The Netherlands (NED) claimed bronze in the women’s bracket, sweeping aside Italy (ITA) 9–2 with clinical precision.
Meanwhile, Great Britain (GBR) edged Denmark (DEN) 3–2 in a gripping bronze-medal encounter, ensuring a podium finish for the Brits.
Cheerleading
Representing the United States of America, Allison Hoeft and Sydney Martin delivered a polished performance to secure gold in the Pom Doubles final with a score of 89.860, building on their status as multi-time ICU World Champions.
The Ecuadorian (ECU) duo of Jennifer García and Fabiana Vélez claimed silver with an impressive 87.290, marking a standout moment for their nation's cheer legacy.
Australia (AUS) earned bronze, as Emily Growdon and Shayla Myerscough delighted the crowd with an energetic routine scoring 84.290, securing their place on the podium.
Overall, this inaugural Cheerleading Pom Doubles event further affirmed USA’s leadership in the discipline while highlighting rising talent from Ecuador and Australia in its debut at The World Games.
Drone Sports
Japan's Yuki Hashimoto clinched gold in the Drone Racing final at the 2025 World Games Chengdu, securing two wins out of three races with a total time of 1:28.337.
Hong Kong China's Kwan Chun Yan earned silver with a time of 1:30.889, while South Korea's Kim Minjae took bronze.
Hashimoto, the 2024 FAI World Drone Racing Champion, had to demonstrate exceptional skill and speed after a DNF in Final 1 at the Dong'an Lake Sports Park Athletics Field where the course - from a bird's eye view - is shaped like the face of a panda.
Flying Disc
In a thrilling Mixed Finals showdown, the United States of America (USA) edged Canada (CAN) 13–12, with veteran deep-game stars like Henry and Michael Ing delivering clutch plays to seal the victory.
Meanwhile, France (FRA) secured the bronze in a hard-fought 13–10 win over Germany (GER), showcasing Europe’s rising strength in the sport.
The day's results highlight the potency of USA’s defense and Canada’s dynamic offense throughout the tournament.
With elite performances from North America and a breakthrough for France, the Flying Disc action in Chengdu was consistently with edge-of-the-seat drama. USA’s 13-12 win over Germany in one of the preliminaries, another memorable match at Chengdu Sport University Sancha Lake Campus Athletics Field.
Gymnastics
Hungary’s Aerobic Dance ensemble dazzled the crowd with flair and precision to clinch Group gold at 17.950, edging out the Republic of Korea’s spirited routine that earned silver at 17.700, while host nation China took bronze with 17.500.
In the Trio final, the People’s Republic of China (CHN), led by Fan Siwei alongside teammates Wang Zhenhao and Zhang Qingzhou—both training in Shanghai—delivered a commanding 20.500-point victory.
Italy’s trio, featuring Davide Nacci, Francesco Sebastio and Sara Cutini, impressed with 19.265 to take the silver, and Bulgaria rounded out the podium with 18.965.
Powerlifting
Japan’s Yusuke Satake (JPN) powered to gold in the Men's Equipped Lightweight Final with a huge 800 kg total, while Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Tsung-Ting (TPE) secured silver on bodyweight at 775 kg and France’s Hassan El Belghiti (FRA) claimed bronze with 777.5 kg.
In the women’s lightweight category, Poland’s Zuzanna Kula (POL) once again showed her world-class pedigree, lifting 563 kg overall for gold – and a new world record - ahead of Ukrainians Tetiana Bila and Anastasiia Derevianko, who both totaled 512.5 kg.
The men’s middleweights saw a dramatic finish, with Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Kai-Chieh (TPE) edging Ukraine’s Vitalii Kolomiiets (UKR) despite a higher 925 kg from the latter, thanks to Chiang’s lighter bodyweight, while compatriot Mykola Barannik (UKR) secured bronze at 907.5 kg.
In the women’s middleweight final, the United States’ Taylor Lynn Lachapelle (USA) claimed gold with 640 kg, fending off Ukrainian legend Larysa Soloviova (622.5 kg) and Italy’s Alessandra Cernigliaro (565 kg).
Roller Sports
In a dazzling all-Chinese showdown, Zhang Hao (CHN) claimed China’s first gold in TWG Roller Sports in Chengdu by defeating compatriot Fu Yu 2–0 in the men's speed slalom final, while Reza Lesani (IRI) skated past fellow Iranian Amirmohammad Savari Jamalouei to secure bronze.
Over in the women’s final, Liu Chiao-Hsi (TPE) of Chinese Taipei skated cleanly to claim gold, edging out Zhu Siyi (CHN) in straight 2–0 sets, with compatriot Wen Jingjing (CHN) earning bronze in a 2–1 bronze-medal showdown
Sport Climbing
China as they have all week, dominated Sport Climbing today. They have won five out of six possible golds and nine medals overall in the sport.
In the Men’s Speed Relay, with Chu Shou Hong and Long Jian Guo (CHN 1) they edged out the USA’s Michael Glenn Hom and Logan James Schlecht 10.26 to 10.55 for gold, while another U.S. pair (Zachary James Hammer/Samuel Ryan WATSON) took bronze over Indonesia.
In the Women’s Relay, China’s top duo Deng Li Juan and Zhou Ya Fei (CHN 1) beat their compatriots Qin Yu Mei and Zhang Shao Qin 13.35 to 13.76 to complete a one‑two sweep, and Jeong Jimin and Sung Hanareum (KOR) secured bronze over Indonesia.
The events this week have highlighted China’s incredible depth in Sport Climbing, with tight finishes still keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats.