Who Will Be the Next Individual World Champions?

World Champion is the most coveted title in archery. Some archers will give it another go, while others will try to steal the big prize on their first try, during the Leipzig World Championships.   Sixteen berths for the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 will be contested in the Individual competition at Leipzig. This is in addition to the 24 places allocated for teams (please refer to our recent preview of the teams).   Let’s have a look at the favourites based on the most important competitions since 2004.      Chung J. H. (KOR) Recurve Men   Events 1st place 2nd place 3rd Place OG Athens 04 Galiazzo (ITA) Yamamoto (JPN) Cuddihy (AUS) WC Madrid 05 Chung J. H. (KOR) Moriya (JPN) Choi W. J. (KOR) Wcup Porec 06 Talukdar (IND) Petersson (SWE) Ivashko (UKR) Wcup Antalya 06 Park K. M. (KOR) Yamamoto (JPN) Hirstov (BUL) Wcup San Salvador 06 Di Buo (ITA) Van Alten (NED) P. Custers (NED) Wcup Shanghai 06 Jang Y. H. (KOR) Park K. M. (KOR) Yong Fujun (CHN) Wcup Final Merida 06 Park K. M. (KOR) Di Buo (ITA) Petersson (SWE) Wcup Ulsan 07 Wang C. P. (TPE) Kuo C. W. (TPE) Tsyrempilov (RUS) Wcup Varese 07 Frangilli (ITA) Tsyrempilov (RUS) Aubert (FRA) Wcup Antalya 07 Kim Y. C. (KOR) Im J. W. (KOR) Serrano (MEX)   With nine winners for the ten events in this analysis, this category is wide open. However, there are some valid trends. The Koreans have won four times and their representatives in Leipzig will be very dangerous: Im Dong Hyun (Asian Games winner), Lee Chang Hwan and Kim Yeon Chul, recent winner of the Meteksan Archery World Cup in Antalya. As for the Italians Galiazzo is an Olympic Champion, while the experienced Frangilli and Di Buo have had magnificent careers and have won World Cup Stages. The Russian, Tsyrempilov, has shot really well in 2007. Wang Cheng Pang (TPE) and Kuo Cheng Wei (TPE) proved their quality at the Ulsan World Cup. Petersson (SWE), Ivashko (UKR), Xue Hai Feng (CHN), Wunderle (USA) and 2005 runner-up Moriya (JPN) also have a lot of experience. The French men Aubert and Girouille, Serrano (MEX) and Yong Fujun (CHN) will be among the young contenders.      Lee S. J. (KOR) Recurve Women   Events 1st place 2nd place 3rd place OG Athens 04 Park S. H. (KOR) Lee S. J. (KOR) Williamson (GBR) WC Madrid 05 Lee S. J. (KOR) Lee T. Y. (KOR) Park S. H. (KOR) Wcup Porec 06 Galinovskaya (RUS) Frigeri (ITA) Lionetti (ITA) Wcup Antalya 06 Qian Jialing (CHN) Kim Y. M. (KOR) Lee T. Y. (KOR) Wcup San Salvador 06 Qian Jialing (CHN) Williamson (GBR) Zhang J. J. (CHN) Wcup Shanghai 06 Yun O. H. (KOR) Yun M. J. (KOR) Lee T. Y. (KOR) Wcup Final Merida 06 Zhang J. J. (CHN) Qian Jialing (CHN) Tonetta (ITA) Wcup Ulsan 07 Park S. H. (KOR) Choi E. Y. (KOR) Yun O. H. (KOR) Wcup Varese 07 Lee H. Y. (KOR) Erdyniyeva (RUS) Marusava (BLR) Wcup Antalya 07 Erdyniyeva (RUS) Choi E. Y. (KOR) Lee S. J. (KOR)     The last 20 years of history shows that being a member of the Korean team means there is a good chance of becoming a World Champion. This also puts more pressure on Olympic Champion Park Sung Hyun as well as Choi Eun Young and Lee Tuk Young. Moreover anything is possible in archery with a 12-arrow match, and some archers are ready to take on the Koreans. The rising star, Erdyniyeva (RUS), is one of them. Other challengers include the 2006 World Cup Final winner Zhang Juan Juan (CHN), and the experienced Valeeva (ITA) and Marusava (BLR).The 2006 wonder, Qian Jialing (CHN), will not be in Leipzig, but she still has a chance to be selected for the Chinese team for Beijing. The other contenders are the French women Schuh and Dodemont, Tonetta (ITA), Banerjee (IND), the Indoor World Champion Hayakawa (JPN) and the Polish Cwienczek and Mospinek. The German women may represent the best chance for a home country medal with Hitzler, Schaefer and Haidn Tschalova.      Lundin (SWE) Compound Men   Events 1st place 2nd place 3rd place WC Madrid 05 Lundin (SWE) Boe (NOR) Sitar (SLO) Wcup Porec 06 R. Wilde (USA) E. Custers (NED) Genet (FRA) Wcup Antalya 06 Dos Santos (BRA) Elzinga (NED) Hofer (SUI) Wcup San Salvador 06 L. Wilde (USA) R. Wilde (USA) Jimenez (ESA) Wcup Shanghai 06 Cousins (USA) Jimenez (ESA) Sidi Neto (BRA) Wcup Final Merida 06 R. Wilde (USA) Elzinga (NED) Jimenez (ESA) Wcup Ulsan 07 Jimenez (ESA) Zamaninejad (IRI) Van Zutphen (NED) Wcup Varese 07 Gellenthien (USA) Jimenez (ESA) Dos Santos (BRA) Wcup Antalya 07 Brasseur (FRA) Gellenthien (USA) Hasenfuss (GER)   In this category, the level of shooting is really high among the top archers and they will have to shoot close to perfect 120-point scores to earn medals. The two archers that have had a small edge in 2007 are Gellenthien (USA) and Jimenez (ESA). However, Brasseur (FRA) won the last World Cup in Antalya. Hofer (SUI) and Dos Santos (BRA) have been pretty close to victory. Reo Wilde (USA) are among the favourites but his brother Logan and Cousins did not qualify for Leipzig. Genet (FRA), Van Zutphen and Elzinga (NED), Zamaninejad (IRI), Karsenty (ISR) and Freeman (AUS) will be tough pretenders. Will the young Damsbo (DEN) finally shine in match play ? The current World Champion, Lundin (SWE), will not give up his title easily.      Goncharova (RUS) Compound Women   Events 1st place 2nd place 3rd place WC Madrid 05 Goncharova (RUS) Bastos (MEX) Kondrashenko (RUS) Wcup Porec 06 Kazantseva (RUS) Van Natta (USA) Davis (USA) Wcup Antalya 06 Goncharova (RUS) Kazantseva (RUS) Simpson (GBR) Wcup San Salvador 06 Goncharova (RUS) Van Natta (USA) A. Ochoa (MEX) Wcup Shanghai 06 Goncharova (RUS) L. Ochoa (MEX) Kazantseva (RUS) Wcup Final Merida 06 Goncharova (RUS) Kazantseva (RUS) Davis (USA) Wcup Ulsan 07 Kazantseva (RUS) Goncharova (RUS) Kusumaniah (INA) Wcup Varese 07 Ericsson (SWE) Van Natta (USA) Willems (BEL) Wcup Antalya 07 Kazantseva (RUS) Davis (USA) Willems (BEL)      In this category as well, the battle between the top 8 or 12 archers should be very exciting. The table above shows that current World Champion, Goncharova (RUS), and team-mate Kazantseva have been terrific for the last two years. However, their rivals will do anything to steal the spotlight, such as Ericsson (SWE), Van Natta (USA) and Willems (BEL). The experienced Agudo (ESP), Salvi (ITA) and Kusumaniah (INA) will also give it another go. Among the young generation, Bouillot (FRA), Paz (PHI), Soemod (DEN), Shabani (IRI), the Mexican Ochoa sisters, and the very young Anastasio from Italy (current Junior Indoor and Outdoor World Champion) are also dreaming of a medal.   Please follow our web coverage on www.archery.org for the build-up of the 44th Outdoor Archery World Championships in Leipzig.   Didier Miéville FITA Communication