Antalya finals preview: Compound Saturday

Eleven years of the Hyundai Archery World Cup and 11 years on the beach-side resort of Antalya, Turkey. And, the year, the host nation is guaranteed something it’s never achieved before – a Turkish athlete taking individual gold.

It’s not just a chance, either, as the compound men’s final will be contested between two men from Turkey – neither of whom has made a final before…

Compound men’s gold final (PM): EVREN CAGIRAN  / SAMET CAN YAKALI 

Neither of this pair has recorded any podium finishes at senior events before, though Evren took individual silver at the recent student world championships in Mongolia. Samet has a pair of world youth golds in team events.

He beat world number one Mike Schloesser in the semis, while Evren – the 45th seed – had to win an extra elimination match.

We’ll let them decide this one on the field…

Advantage: Push

Compound women’s gold final (PM): SARA LOPEZ  / DAHLIA CROOK 

The two-time Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion, coming off a three-gold haul at stage two in Medellin and running a world-event match winning streak that extends back to the bronze medal match at the worlds in Copenhagen in the summer of 2015. Oh, and Sara Lopez is the world number one and world record holder over the 15-arrow match.

Crook, though – who won three medals at the last world youth champs – would be the youngest-ever gold medal winner at a Hyundai Archery World Cup stage if she manages to pull off the win. (By 90 days.)

Advantage: Lopez

Compound men’s bronze final (PM): DOMAGOJ BUDEN  / MIKE SCHLOESSER 

Mister Perfect Mike Schloesser shot three consecutive 148-point matches before dropping down (not far) to a 146 for the semifinal, which put him in a shoot-off, which he then lost. He shot a nine, his opponent an X.

The world number one, who is the locked top seed for the 2016 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final, faces first-time finalist Domagoj Buden, an 18-year-old who was world cadet champion in 2013 in Wuxi.

Domagoj has youth medals in outdoor, indoor and field events. Never a senior podium finish – until Antalya 2016?

Advantage: Schloesser

Compound women’s bronze final (PM): YESIM BOSTAN  / MARCELLA TONIOLI 

Turkey’s third individual finalist Yesim was in the Antalya bronze medal match in 2014, but finished fourth. (She was beaten by Germany’s Janine Meissner.)

To go one better in 2016, she’ll have got through two-time mixed team World Archery Champion Marcella Tonioli, from Italy. Tonioli is fresh off a bronze medal from stage two in Antalya and shot a mixed team world record in Antalya (and she’ll shoot in that bronze final, too).

Yesim has a second shot at a medal on home soil, though.

Advantage: Bostan

Compound mixed team gold final (PM): Great Britain  / Colombia 

Lopez took mixed team gold with Daniel Munoz at stage two in Medellin. She’s paired with Camilo Cardona in Antalya, the pair that won youth world golds twice in a row in 2013 and 2015.

Great Britain’s an underdog in this one… and that’s just where Brits prefer to be!

Advantage: Colombia

Compound men’s team gold final (AM): Italy  / USA 

A rematch of the Medellin final, the last stage on the international tour, at which the USA took gold. Two in a row or a chance for revenge for the Italian trio, which remains the same for the second stop in a row.

The USA’s line-up is different: Anderson and Wifler are out; Wilde and Deaton are in – with Gellenthien.

Advantage: Italy

Compound women’s team gold final (AM): Russia  / Netherlands 

The Dutch team won silver at the worlds in 2015. The women don’t appear as a squad, internationally, all that often – but when they do, they perform.

Russia features first-time competitor on the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit Elizaveta Koroleva, who seeded third individually. Taking team gold would be a fitting finish to her first tournament.

But something says the team in orange has this…

Advantage: Netherlands