Shanghai top-seed Lopez already in mid-season form

Sara Lopez finished top of the compound women’s qualifying session in cool conditions at the Yuanshen Stadium. Her 708 was a little way off her own world record, set at 713, but was good enough to rank first in a strong field. 

“It was kind of difficult at the beginning because I was freezing, and the wind was a little difficult to read. But at the end I shot amazing. It's my first World Cup with a new release, so I'm happy with the result and ready for tomorrow,” said Lopez, the reigning world number one and Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion two years running.

“I want to get some points for this year’s World Cup Final here. I want to learn from my mistakes, to have fun! [laughs] And to not worry about everything I've already done, just keep doing what I'm doing, not worry what people think, and make sure I shoot good shots whether I win or I lose.”

In an Olympic year, the non-Olympic compound discipline has a shortened calendar, with the Archery World Cup season condensed into three stages, all before July.

“It feels different, but I'm really proud of the Colombian recurve team. We’ve qualified four spots, which is the most ever, and the team is getting stronger everyday,” said Sara.

“Having the attention on them is good for me, because we're all representing Colombia. So even if people don't pay attention to me as a compound archer, I'm happy that people are paying attention to Colombia. We're all working hard as a team.”

Crystal Gauvin had a great day, qualifying second and shooting a personal best of 703 – eight points clear of her previous mark.

“My last competition, the Arizona Cup, was a disaster for me so I was not expecting anything here. It’s been crazy windy at home and since then I haven't had a single day with less than 20-mile-per-hour winds,” said Gauvin.

Crystal explained that she made changes to her bow and arrow set-up before travelling to Shanghai and didn’t have any idea how she, and the equipment, would perform. At halfway, she had a personal best by a point, and nearing the end of the full 72-arrow round, nerves began to creep in.

“My timing went down and I had to regroup. But I shot six-X10 in my last end,” she said.

Sarah Sonnichsen of Denmark qualified third with 702 – and gave a surprising reason for her performance:

“My boyfriend broke up with me. I have a lot of time to practice now and you can see it in the scores, see it in the technique, it’s going very well. I’ve got the time, so why not?”

Despite lower individual placings, the Korean women who came in fourth, fifth and 21st ended up finishing top of the ranking in the compound women’s team competition, and will face either France or Russia in their first match.

Denmark ranked second and Germany, featuring 2013 World Archery Champion Kristina Heigenhauser, third.