Li Mengqi now has the honour of being China’s second only Shanghai gold medallist as he held off Mete Gazoz 6-4 in a thriller to win the recurve men’s title in the 2026 edition – stage two of the Hyundai World Cup.
Shooting in just his second ever stop on archery’s premier international circuit – Medellin 2023 the first – Mengqi already proved he was one to watch in the final fours from Friday’s individuals where he defeated Madrid 2025 victor Matias Grande, the week’s number one seed Tang Chih-Chun, and then Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medallist Kim Je Deok.
No doubt boosted by the earlier success in the mixed team gold medal match alongside Huang Yuwei, his quiet, calm confidence bled through to the action at the Riverside Financial Plaza as he overcame one Turkish archer in Berkim Tumer 6-2 to another in Gazoz 6-4.
The former Olympic, World and European champion had clawed back from a 4-0 deficit to take Mengqi to a fifth set and dropped 10, 10, 9, meaning his Chinese counterpart had to be perfect in the last end to emerge victorious – and he did with two in the minuscule X-ring, coming out on top at 6-4 in set points.
“I didn’t care too much about winning or losing, I just did my best,” said Mengqi, who joins Chen Wenyuan [2009] in Chinese triumphs at Shanghai. “Whether I win or lose, it’s up to fate. I feel that they [his internal and external calmness] are almost the same because usually as long as I practise the sport… in fact winning or losing is not very important.”
“The more important thing is to be yourself. I didn’t think about it, so what if I have to shoot three 10s? As long as I do my own actions well and do what I should do, I feel comfortable.”
Had you not known who Mengqi was beforehand, you would’ve thought he’d rolled into international medal situations his whole life but it’s actually quite the opposite.
