Mexican recurve women make team final at their first event of the year

Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia, Aida Roman and Mariana Avitia beat Russia to secure a gold medal match berth in the recurve women’s team event at the third stage of the 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.

Coupled with Valencia’s spot in the individual bronze medal match, it’s made Mexico’s late start to the season a successful one.

“I’d like to complete it tomorrow in the mixed team – and in the finals, shoot as well as I can, and get a good result before the world championships,” said Valencia.

She, Roman and Avitia have been shooting together for the best part of a decade.

They were the team for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the same three women that came runner-up to Korea at the last Hyundai World Archery Championships.

“We really know each other. We know everything that we need to say – how we shoot. It’s a very good relationship that we have,” added Alejandra. “We have a lot of trust in one another and every time we shoot together we have a chance.”

The Mexican team faces top-seeded Chinese Taipei in the final.

After the event, Mexico’s squad is expected to travel to the Netherlands to train for a couple of weeks ahead of the 2019 Hyundai World Archery Championships in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

Spain and Russia will contest Antalya’s recurve women’s team bronze medal.

When Ukraine knocked out the number-one-ranked Netherlands in the second round, the recurve men’s team bracket was blown open.

The Ukrainian men lost to China in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Italy beat the USA in a shoot-off – both shot 27 points but Italy had an arrow closer to the middle.

China and Italy will shoot for gold, Ukraine and USA for recurve men’s team bronze.

Turkey upset the USA in the compound men’s team quarterfinals, subsequently beating India by a point to book a spot in the final. So far, it’s the only gold medal match in Antalya to feature archers from the home nation.

They’ll face Denmark for the title. The once-dominant Danes haven’t won a stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup since early 2017, in Shanghai.

India has Russia in the bronze medal match.

The compound women’s final will be the only team title match at this third stage of the 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup between the two top-seeded squads in the category.

First-ranked USA won its two matches with a pair of 234-point 24-arrow 50-metre matches. Russia shot a perfect 30 in a semifinal shoot-off to beat India.

The Indian team faces Great Britain for bronze.

The third stage of the 2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place on 20-26 May in Antalya, Turkey.

Biographies
Compétitions