Lisell Jaatma stood on the top step in Shanghai for the first time. On 9 May, at the second stage of the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup, the Estonian took the compound women's title and, with it, her maiden World Cup gold.
A re-invigorated Lisell Jaatma made no mistake in the compound women's final this time around, putting on a career-best performance to take gold at Shanghai.
The final was decided by a single point.
Jaatma defeated the very archer who had beaten 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.
Becerra arrived as world number one and reigning champion, and the margin held to the last arrows. It was the reversal Jaatma had waited for.
The route there asked as much.
She came through a gold-worthy 149-149 shootoff victory over the week's top seed, Alexis Ruiz, before meeting Becerra.
The afternoon in China was pleasant but windy, the conditions sharpening as the medal matches went on. Jaatma shot through both.
A comeback measured in more than points
The result carried weight beyond the scorecard.
The top podium marked a maiden win against Becerra, and it cemented that Jaatma's layoff last year was worth it.
A month earlier she had gone close and fallen short:
Jaatma, 26, lost to all-time great Sara Lopez in the gold medal match at Puebla, 149-148.
In Shanghai she finished the job.
What preceded it was harder than any final.
Following her third-round elimination at the Gwangju 2025 World Championships, Jaatma revealed the 2025 outdoor season had been tough and that she had been suffering from health issues throughout the year.
The 2024 Swiss Open Lausanne gold medallist took six weeks off from archery and did not feature in an international competition until the Nimes tournament in January 2026, a four-month hiatus to prioritise a full physical and mental recovery.
She spoke plainly about it afterwards.
"I was burnt out, depressed and struggling with an eating disorder," she explained. "I basically didn't have energy to do anything and felt bad 24/7. I made a lot of changes, started working with different specialists and slowly got better."
"I'm still speechless, like I have to think about what happened," said a teary-eyed Jaatma. "I have silver, bronze, and I've been waiting for it for so long so it means a lot."
The gold was not hers alone in spirit.
Her mother and coach, Maarika, was emotional once her daughter's maiden World Cup gold was confirmed.
The win was also her second medal of the day, after a mixed team bronze earlier with her brother Robin, and it earned a ticket to Saltillo, host of the 2026 World Cup Final.
For a family that has carried one of Europe's smallest nations to medals across indoor and outdoor archery, Shanghai read as vindication.
She had waited years for the top step. She stepped up when it counted.
