Four European archers to fight over two compound golds

The battle for supremacy eventually favoured Europe - where all four gold-medal-match contenders originate - and Croatia, which has a shot at two medals in the women's division.

Men
It would be hard to argue the wind had no effect today, since so many top competitors recorded misses: athletes ran out of time and did not shoot their last arrow or were simply blown off aim and missed the target. The highest score registered was 144 - but most archers were averaging between 110 and 130.

Pierre-Julien DELOCHE (FRA) and Dutch Mike SCHLOESSER (photo) emerged as medal contenders in testing conditions. The French archer, winner of the Wroclaw World Cup in August, switched to a thumb trigger from his usual back tension release because of the wind - weather he is used to, since he lives by the Mediterranean Sea: “as a marine, when the wind at the sea is announced at 7, I know what to expect”.

DELOCHE beat Gerardo ALVARADO (MEX) and Marcus LAUBE (GER) to begin the day. In the quarter-finals, he defeated Rajat CHAUHAN (IND), who edged out World Cup Final winner Martin DAMSBO (DEN) yesterday. DELOCHE opened his semi-final against Roberval DOS SANTOS (BRA) with a near-perfect 29 and, helped by a miss from his opponent which saw his release aid go flying, took a 14-point advantage. He shot his way to victory and gold medal match, 130-108.

“The goal was not to shoot more points, but just to hit the target face. It was very hard. When you loaded the arrow the wind would blow it off,” the Frenchman explained.

Sixth in Turin two years ago, 31-year-old DELOCHE has his first shot at a World Archery Championships gold medal - after winning World Cup and indoor world medals already during his career. He credits a change in his mental approach for his new-found regularity this season: “I passed a milestone. I did not really have success earlier, as if I had been building the walls of a building. Now I am installing the ceiling.”

DELOCHE’s gold medal match opponent, Mike SCHLOESSER, seemed strongest in the wind. He enters the final with the highest scores of the 1/8 round (144), the quarter-finals (139) and the semi-finals (133). SCHLOESSER credited the windy conditions at his Netherlands home training facility for helping him shoot well through the windy gusts, even though he found it tough. At only 19 years old, he has already competed in three World Youth Championships and one senior World Championships and - ensured at least silver - he will climb the senior individual podium for the first time.

The two finalists, who are good friends, declared that they are “very happy to shoot the final together”. For the pair's first competition encounter at a World Championships final, SCHLOESSER admitted to being “quite nervous”. DELOCHE, on the other hand, said: “shooting the final with a friend means there is no extra pressure. We will be able to focus on beautiful shots, to put on a beautiful display of archery - and then, let the winner win!”

The bronze medal match, another first head-to-head encounter, will feature Alexander DAMBAEV (photo) and Roberval DOS SANTOS. The Brazilian 63rd seed won his spot in the semi-final by beating defending world champion Christopher PERKINS (CAN). Aged 43, DOS SANTOS has a first shot at a World Championships medal, after winning the World Cup Final bronze in 2007.

DAMBAEV has shot internationally since 2010 but really emerged this season at 24 years old: he was 3rd at the Wroclaw World Cup and will shoot for mixed team gold here. After putting defending silver medallist Jesse BROADWATER (USA) out of contention, he dominated Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA) in the quarter-finals. With Reo WILDE's (USA) also out, this year is first time since 2005 that there is no American archer shooting for the title of compound world champion.

Women
The early-morning's 1/16 round proved a nightmare for favourites. World n°1 Erika JONES suffered defeat to Rikki BINGHAM (GBR) in what she compared to “shooting in a hurricane”. The defending bronze medallist said: "in the first end I had one arrow that fell of my rest with five seconds left. I had to put it back on and luckily punched it off and got a 5. And then the last end I couldn’t get my last arrow off. I backed down with about 15 seconds, and couldn’t get my arrow to stay on the rest - so I couldn’t shoot it. It’s disappointing that this is how we’re selecting our world champion this year, and I just wish we could have had a better chance.”

It was an unlucky round as well for Colombian stars Sara LOPEZ and Alejandra USQUIANO, winners of several World Cup gold medals this season but who will have to wait to win their first individual World Championships medals. The three Korean archers, team champions at the Shanghai World Cup - and including World Cup finalist SEOK Ji Hyun - were also defeated in that round, ending Korea’s hopes for a first-ever individual World Championships medal in the compound women division.

Albina LOGINOVA (RUS), defending champion from 2009 and 2011 and top qualifier here, survived the first round but was defeated in the second by 16-year-old Croatian Maja ORLIC (main photo). Defending silver medallist Pascale LEBECQUE (FRA) suffered a similar fate in 1/8 with a loss to 18-year-old Danelle WENTZEL (RSA). A new compound queen will be crowned on Saturday.

Maja ORLIC, shooting in her first senior World Championships, went on to win her quarter-final match against Rikki BINGHAM (GBR). In the other quarter-finals, Kristina BERGER (GER) - the former pistol champion competing in her first World Archery Championships - defeated Marcella TONIOLI (ITA), who was 6th two years ago. Quarter-finalist South African Danelle WENTZEL was defeated by the experienced Ivana BUDEN (CRO) - but her teammate Gerda ROUX, seeded N°54, beat Melanie LAWTHER (IRL).

This drew up a semi-final between Maja ORLIC and Kristina BERGER (photo). The German archer took a 9-point lead in the first end, with the help of a miss by her young opponent. ORLIC reduced the gap to two points before the final three arrows, but BERGER kept her advantage and will shoot for her first World Championships gold medal on Saturday. She will face Ivana BUDEN, who won the other semi-final by managing to keep more of her arrows on the target.

Both finalists will shoot for their first ever World Archery Championships gold medal. Can BUDEN add the target archery title after winning the field in 2012?

The bronze medal match will be the first encounter between Maja ORLIC and Gerda ROUX, who is competing in her first international season at 39 years old. She could give South Africa its first World Championships medal since Jorina COETZEE won silver in 2009. With a gold and a bronze medal finalist, Croatia has two shots at compound individual medals. “I am so happy to be in the bronze final,” said ORLIC. “I thought I would be 30th or something, but this is so amazing. I don’t know how I shot so well in this wind - I found somewhere on the target and just shot!”

The compound team eliminations will follow on Friday morning.

World Archery Communication