Cyprus’s Christos Misos is the new VI1 world champion, after beating Ruben Vanhollebeke in the final at the Gwangju 2025 World Archery Para Championships.
“It was a very, very hard job, getting here, a very hard job with my trainer. The last set was tied, and I got that seven to get the win,” said Misos.
It was Misos’ first major title win after many silver medals at world level. “It was our discipline, that made it happen. Just one arrow can make the difference,” he said.
The 47-year-old took up archery in 2014 after going blind due to a virus. The first ever VI archer in Cyprus, he devoted his life to the sport and is also a coach and judge. He made a performance breakthrough this year, winning the Rome 2025 European Para Archery Cup.
Visually impaired archers shoot over 30 metres, and matches use the set system.
The bronze medal went to Craig Newbery of Australia, who competed with his daughter Jacqueline Newbery acting as spotter, as they did in Pilsen, where he took silver. “Very exciting. I shot better today than I did yesterday. Today was a clean slate,” he said.
“What’s next for me? Gold in Australia.” The 2027 World Para Championships will be held in Canberra.
