Australia’s team at the 2026 World Archery Field Championships in Yankton, South Dakota, has come home with a world title and eight podium finishes. Equalling the best haul Australia has taken from any World Championships.
Lexie Feeney and Ryan Tyack – World Champions
Lexie Feeney and Ryan Tyack are World Champions after winning Gold in the Recurve Mixed Team event. Qualifying at #6 they fought through the ¼ and ½ rounds to make the gold medal match and take the gold with a tense finish a single point, 78 to 77.
The medal tally
Chris Jackson, Xavier Clark and Josh Turner took silver in the U21 Men’s Team event, and six bronze medals: Nicky and Simon Fairweather in the Barebow Mixed Team, Chris Jackson and Ellen Martini in the U21 Recurve Mixed Team, May Wu in the individual Barebow, and Millie Fisher in the U21 individual Barebow, Liezel-Marie Roux, Ellen Martinin and Millie Fisher in the U21 Female team and Xavier Clarke and Millie Ficher in U21 Mixed barebow.
| Medal | Event | Athletes |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Recurve Mixed Team | Lexie Feeney and Ryan Tyack |
| Silver | U21 Men’s Team | Chris Jackson, Xavier Clark and Josh Turner |
| Bronze | Barebow Mixed Team | Nicky Fairweather and Simon Fairweather |
| Bronze | U21 Recurve Mixed Team | Chris Jackson and Ellen Martini |
| Bronze | Barebow Individual | May Wu |
| Bronze | U21 Barebow Individual | Millie Fisher |
| Bronze | U21 Women’s Team | Ellen Martini, Liezel-Marie Roux and Millie Fisher |
| Bronze | U21 Barebow Mixed Team | Millie Fisher and Xavier Clark |
Equal best at a World Championships
Six official medals (1G, 1S and 4B) equals the six medial won at the 1996 Youth World Championships and is one more than Australian team took home at the last World Field Championships in Lac la Biche in 2025. Results like these are built on the hours our athletes put in at home, long before they get on a plane.
Strong Performances
Plenty of strong performances in Yankton didn’t end with a medal but they are worth recognising.
A number of athletes and teams also made it to the bronze medal matches against their team mate. Nicky Fariweather was up against May Win in the barebow womens final and Elke Yee was up against Millie Ficher in the U21 Barebow final. Josh Turner and Liezel- Marie Roux also making it to a bronze medal match off for the U21 mixed teams, narrowly missing out to come 4th.
Chris Jackson led the way in qualification, finishing first in U21 Recurve with a score of 381 and unofficially breaking two national records. He led a strong U21 group With almost all finishing in the top 10 after qualification rounds.
In the individual competition Ryan Tyack made it through to the 1/4 round for individual recurve and the remainder of the open group individuals also finished in the top 10 after qualifications. And in his first World Field competition representing Australia Ross Gooding qualified at #20,Alex Smith at #12 and Katskin Fryz at#16, a great experience for all.
Wet, muddy and shortened
Those results came in difficult conditions. Yankton was very wet and muddy, and organisers had to change the course and shorten it for some of the qualification rounds. Field archery already asks athletes to read terrain and distance target by target, and doing that on a reworked course in the mud made a hard event harder.
Thanks from the Board
Archery Australia Chairperson Rob Fiddyment wrote to the team after the Championships to congratulate every athlete who represented Australia, medal or not.
“The Board recognises that the performances we see at a World Championship represent only a tiny fraction of the work that precedes them. Behind every arrow shot in competition are tens of thousands of practice arrows, countless hours on the range refining technique and striving for improvement.”
He also thanked Team Coach Alec Potts and Team Managers Alan Howell and Lindsay Roux, noting that much of the work in preparing and supporting a team happens away from the competition field and gets little public recognition.
“The results from Yankton give Australian archery much to celebrate. You have represented Australia and our sport with distinction, and the Board of Archery Australia is immensely proud of what you have achieved.”
