Archery World Cup Indoor Challenge starts in Nimes

  The Tournament of Nimes promises to be an exceptional event! Several famous champions of the past and present will participate in this 14th edition. Among them eight Olympic medallist, and thirty world champions over the past decade, as well as current leaders of the World Ranking, will compete! Here are our predictions on the favourites to win this 2011 edition, based on the results from the recent major international competitions.   Recurve Men There will be a fight between generations in this division! Magnus PETERSSON (SWE) is coming-back at the highest level of competition, and will be a great challenger for Brady ELLISON (USA), winner of the 2010 World Cup Final. Other Olympic medallists will take part to the competition in this event: Juan Carlos HOLGADO (ESP), Sebastien FLUTE (FRA), Simon TERRY and Michele FRANGILLI (ITA) who will try to defend his title from last year.   These archers will face the members of the new generation. The Frenchmen who won the team silver at the outdoor world championships in 2009, Romain GIROUILLE, Jean-Charles VALLADONT photo and Thomas AUBERT, are all under 23 years old. Jake KAMINSKI (USA), winner of the Tournament of Las Vegas in 2010, will also be shooting for the first place in Nimes.   Recurve Women YUN Mi-Jin (KOR) will be the favourite in this division. She won gold at Sydney Olympic Games and at the world outdoor championships in 2003. Naomi FOLKARD (GBR) will also have the opportunity to win this edition. The 2008 edition winner, Natalya ERDYDNIYEVA (RUS), and her teammates Inna STEPANOVA and Ksenia PEROVA, will be joining the battle for this 2011 edition.   Other favourites: Celine BEZAULT (FRA), Emilie GARCIA (FRA), Sandra TORRES (FRA), Pia Carmen LIONETTI (ITA), Jessica TOMASI (ITA), Zane BERZINA (LAT), Alison WILLIAMSON (GBR) and Lisa UNRUH (GER).   Compound Men This category will feature the best archers in the world! The American men will try to shoot better than Italy's Sergio PAGNI, winner of the 2009 and 2010 World Cup Final, current European indoor champion and two-time winner in Nimes. No 1 seeded of the World Ranking Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA) will compete for the second time in this tournament. He is a contender to victory after his second place in 2010. Another favourite is his teammate Jesse BROADWATER, winner of the tournament in 2010. Dave COUSINS (USA), winner of nine medals at the world championships level (three gold), has never won in Nimes. Might 2011 be his year?   Other favourites: Pierre Julien DELOCHE (FRA) photo, Dominique GENET (FRA), Claude BRUNSTEIN (FRA), Sebastien BRASSEUR (ITA), Reo WILDE (USA), Peter ELZINGA (NED), Andy RIKUNENKO (GBR), Martin DAMSBO (DEN) and Morgan LUNDIN (SWE).   Compound Women On the women's side, Russia’s Albina LOGINOVA is the big favourite! Recent winner of World Cup Final and reigning world outdoor champion will be the one to watch. Camilla SOEMOD (DEN) will compete in Nimes for the second time, trying to do better than her 25th place last year. Nicky HUNT (GBR), current leader of the World Ranking might have a chance, having won bronze at the 2008 European indoor championships and a World Cup stage in 2009. Former world champions Gladys WILLEMS (BEL), Eugenia SALVI (ITA) and Jamie VAN NATTA (USA) will also compete. The host country will be represented in this category by Valerie FABRE, Pascale LEBECQUE and Sandrine VANDIONANT.   Archers from the following countries have registered: Africa: Morocco, South Africa America: Canada, USA Asia: Korea, Japan Europe: Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden. Next year a new Indoor Archery World Cup 2012 with an starting event in Singapore will take place. Then the traditional tournaments in Nîmes and Las Vegas will follow up. Stay tune for more info.    World Archery Communication