A re-invigorated Lisell Jaatma made no mistake in the compound women’s final this time around as she put on a career-best performance to take gold at Shanghai — the second stage of the 2026 Hyundai World Cup.
Jaatma, 26, lost to all-time great Sara Lopez in last month’s gold medal match at Puebla, 149-148, and shot brilliantly again across both individual matches on a pleasant but windy afternoon in China.
After coming through a gold-worthy 149-149 shootoff victory over the week’s top seed Alexis Ruiz, the Estonian then defeated the very archer that beat her in the Chengdu 2025 World Games final, Andrea Becerra, 145-144, dropping nine 10s which, on a day where the wind seemed to increase as the session went on, was a brilliant score.
“I’m still speechless… like I have to think about what happened,” said a teary-eyed Jaatma, whose mother and coach Maarika was also emotional once her daughter’s maiden World Cup gold was confirmed. “I was concentrating to do my own thing. It’s just shoot good and we will see. Then the fourth end was where I shot two nines, then I got a little bit nervous and in the fifth end, I was like, ‘Okay, now we have to focus, just do three good shots and we will see.’”
“I think everybody wants to win, and never come back without gold… and I don’t have any gold medals. I have silver, bronze, and I’ve been waiting for it for so long so it means a lot.”
“It’s definitely a special one.”
It’s special in more ways than one.
The top podium signifies a maiden win against world number one and champion Becerra, her second medal of the day after gaining bronze in the mixed team earlier with brother Robin, and a ticket to Saltillo – the location for the 2026 World Cup Final.
But more importantly, it cements that Jaatma’s layoff last year was worth it.
