A total of 21 podiums were stood on today by some of the planet’s best athletes at The World Games 2025 and although that may sound like a quieter day compared to previous ones in Chengdu, everlasting tales were still made.
The soon-to-be Fistball president Gastão Englert would’ve been particularly delighted as his country Brazil have come away from TWG 2025 as champions in both Men’s and Women’s teams.
Brazil’s men sweeped past historical stalwarts Germany and the women defeated Switzerland in an absolute classic.
Finland and Sweden meanwhile shared the spoils in Floorball, Sweden getting the men’s top podium and Finland the first ever TWG women’s gold.
Archery
Slovakia’s Denisa Baránková edged out Italy’s defending champion Chiara Rebagliati 59–57 to claim gold.
Another Italian Roberta Di Francesco overcame The World Games 2022 Birmingham bronze medallist Elisa Tartler (GER) 61–56 to take third place.
On the men’s side, Matteo Borsani (ITA) captured gold with a 61–58 win over Great Britain’s Patrick Huston, and Willem Bakker (NED) snatched bronze from Germany’s Florian Unruh by a single point, 60–59.
Baránková’s victory marks a notable breakthrough, dethroning Rebagliati—who had claimed gold in Birmingham 2022 and beat Tartler by millimetres in the semifinal - whilst Borsani delivered a career-best performance. Chengdu is his first career gold at any international competition and he earlier bested defending champion Unruh in the semifinal.
Billiards
China’s world champion Bai Yulu clinched gold with a solid 2–0 win over Thailand’s Narucha Phoemphul—marking a triumphant and special World Games debut in her home country.
In the debut of the Women’s Three-Cushion event at TWG, Netherlands’ Therese Klompenhouwer—replicating the prowess of Dutch legend Dick Jaspers—outpointed Japan’s Ayaka Miyashita 25–12 to take the gold.
China’s Han Yu edged out the Philippines’ former world-champion Chezka Centeno in a nail-biting 7–6 final, underscoring her elite pedigree as a three-time world Nine-Ball champion.
Fistball
In a rare twist, the Women’s Fistball Final featured no German team.
Rather, South American powerhouse Brazil edged Switzerland 3–2 in a hotly contested battle which saw more than unusual unforced errors due to the sweltering conditions especially in the decisive final set.
On the Men’s side, Brazil delivered a far more dominating performance to defeat Germany 3–0 in a straight-sets victory – a reminder that the gap left by the recently retired great Patrick Thomas is still a big one to be filled.
In the Women’s bronze match, Germany reasserted their pedigree with a clean 3–0 win over Austria, reclaiming a spot on the podium after missing the final.
Meanwhile, Austria secured the Men’s bronze by beating Switzerland 3–1.
Floorball
In a classic Nordic showdown, Sweden edged Finland 2–1 to claim gold, reinforcing their dominance in men’s floorball as the reigning champions of both TWG and having multiple world titles to their name.
Finland’s women team however stopped the Swedish party, upsetting them in an end-to-end 3–2 victory, a rematch of the 2023 World Championship final (a 4–3 Sweden win). It was also the debut women’s final at TWG.
Czechia powered past Switzerland 7–2 to seize the Men’s bronze but it was the reverse in the Women’s, the Swiss edging Czechia 4–3 to take third place.
Parkour
Shang Chunsong delivered for the home crowd to win Women’s Freestyle with 24.7 points—an ex-China gymnastics captain and 2024 Parkour world freestyle champion—ahead of Japan’s 19-year-old Nene Nagai (22.9) and Argentina’s Sara Banchoff Tzancoff (20.6).
In Men’s Speed, Switzerland’s Caryl Cordt-Moeller blazed 25.30 for gold, with Czech Jaroslav Chum taking silver in 25.83 and Italy’s Andrea Consolini bronze in 27.27—yet another medal from the reigning world champion and World Cup Series winner.
The results from the final day of Parkour underscored one of the most global reaching sports at The World Games —gold for China, silver for the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and podiums for Japan, Argentina, and Italy.
Podiums for six different countries and three continents on a showcase day in Chengdu.
Sambo
Uzbekistan’s Shakhzoda Azatova secured a Total Victory (2:0) over Mongolia’s Nomintuya Enkhbaatar in Women’s –59 kg, reinforcing her status as a pound-for-pound Sambo standout.
Ukraine’s Andrii Kucherenko dominated with a 6:1 points win in the Men’s –71kg: against Rolan Zinnatov showing off the best of his explosive style and technical prowess.
In a tightly fought final, Sofia Istomina edged Feruza Bobokulova (UZB) after initially tieing on points (2:2).
Ukraine continued its gold-rush with Vladyslav Rudniev (79 kg, 3:0) and Petro Davydenko (88 kg, 4:1), demonstrating the country’s growing strength across multiple weight classes whilst Shaked Nisimian of Israel emerged victorious in the women’s 72 kg gold medal match, (total victory 5:0),
Speed Skating
In the Women’s 15,000 m Elimination Race, Colombia’s Gabriela Rueda seized gold in 28:20.317, narrowly edging out France’s Marine Lefeuvre (28:20.588) and Mexico’s Valentina Alejandra Letelier Cartagena (28:22.444).
On the men's side, Colombia’s Juan Jacobo Mantilla Pinilla powered to gold in 23:20.565, outpacing Ecuador’s Nicolas Alexander Garcia Pazmino (23:20.981), with France’s Martin Ferrie taking bronze (23:39.668).
In the fiercely contested Women’s 100 m Sprint, Ivonne Sarai Nochez Gallardo (ESA) clinched gold in 10.702 s – El Salvador’s first in its TWG history with Gallardo the only athlete from her country in Chengdu - ahead of France’s Haila Brunet Alvarez (10.742 s) and Guatemala’s Dalia Soberanis (11.275 s).
Meanwhile, Spain’s Jhoan Sebastian Guzman Bitar triumphed in the Men’s 100 m Sprint with a blistering 9.530 s, followed by Italy’s Vincenzo Maiorca (9.715 s) and Germany’s Ron Pucklitzsch (9.905 s).