Garcia, Ottosson tight at top of barebow field

Spain’s David Garcia Fernandez topped the barebow men’s ranking round with 348 points, one ahead of 2002 world champion Martin Ottosson of Sweden, at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland. Both men received semifinal berths.

“I was very calm while shooting. After the unmarked I finished second and, now, overall on top. Knowing that I already made the semis, it’s a bit relaxing,” said Garcia.

“I’ve just got to wait to give it all no matter the pool I shoot in.”

Garcia and Ottosson will shoot a show match ahead of the eliminations shoot-up, with the winner selecting either pool A or pool B – and their eventual semifinal opponents.

Ottosson said shooting a qualifying course that had a real  impact on the results felt very different.

“You could actually feel that there was more tension in the group and it was more fun,” he explained. “It is fun to shoot with a relaxed feeling but that’s not why we are here, we can do that at home.”

The winner of the barebow men’s event at the last two editions of the World Games, Guiseppe Seimandi, ranked third.

“I shot some targets really good. At the long distances I shot really well but at the short, I got the same points as on the long, which is not really good,” he said.

Seimandi will also shoot the World Archery 3D Championships in 2017, but in the compound division.

He said his experience with the other bowstyle was valuable, especially with the increased emphasis on matchplay under the new competition format in use in Wroclaw.

Seimandi will be the last entrant into the shoot-up in pool A.

The sudden-death eliminations leave just two unbeaten athletes standing, who then join Garcia and Ottosson in the final four at the 2017 World Games.

The barebow field archery competitions at the 2017 World Games run 26-28 July in Wroclaw, Poland.