Lausanne 2014: compound women’s competition preview

Preview the Lausanne 2014 Archery World Cup Final in the lead up to competition on 6/7 September.

Categories: compound men, recurve women, recurve men, mixed team

Qualification story

The most stable of the qualifying categories, all the competitors were confirmed way before the end of the last stage of the circuit in Wroclaw.

Four of the 2014 finalists – JONES, USQIANO, LOPEZ and LOGINOVA – are back from last year, and are consistent high-finishers at international events.

Toja CERNE emerged in 2014. The young athlete’s been shooting for an age, but only shot all four legs of the World Cup for the first time this season and picked up her first medal at Medellin: silver.

Usually hidden in LOGINOVA’s shadow, Russia’s AVDEEVA only shot in two stages this year: the last two. She finished first and fifth, individually.

Defending champion

Alejandra USQUIANO won her home World Cup stage in 2013: Medellin. It was her first international world podium after a string of solid results in the Americas – and sprang her into a Paris 2013 Final spot.

She took full advantage, beating LOPEZ, two-time world champion LOGINOVA and the USA’s Erika JONES in the gold medal match.

USQUIANO won under the Eiffel Tower – and she’s back to defend her title next to Lake Geneva.

First round matches

Match one: Sara LOPEZ (COL) versus Clementine DE GIULI (SUI)

Against two-time stage silver medallist in 2014, Swiss national champion DE GIULI – who shot for years with a recurve – needs a life-time performance.

LOPEZ hasn’t shot to her levels in a finals so far this season. She had equipment difficulties in Shanghai and the Wroclaw gold match went to shoot-off, which she lost. Holder of the world’s best ever 15-arrow match, it’s fair to expect more in Lausanne.

Advantage: LOPEZ

Match two: Linda OCHOA (MEX) versus Natalia AVDEEVA (RUS)

Mexico’s Linda OCHOA hasn’t medalled individually at a world international since 2010. That year, she went to the World Cup Final in Edinburgh, and finished sixth.

If she beats ADVEEVA – who came sixth at this year’s European Championships – she’ll have improved that placing.

Perpetually in contention, and finishing in the top 10, Linda is due a medal finish.

Advantage: OCHOA

Match three: Erika JONES (USA) versus Alejandra USQUIANO (COL)

A first-round (quarterfinal) rematch of last year’s gold medal match. JONES is no longer the world number one since Alejandra’s Colombian teammate LOPEZ overtook her after Wroclaw.

She’s had a better ceiling result than USQUIANO in 2014 – but the defending champion has been more consistent in making the latter stages of competition. That’s more match wins, and this likely gets added to that tally.

Advantage: USQUIANO

Match four: Toja CERNE (SLO) versus Albina LOGINOVA (RUS)

A clash between someone with no target titles and someone with more than she can fit on her resume. LOGINOVA’s a two-time world champion and previous World Cup Final winner.

CERNE became a world gold medallist herself at the field championships last week – but is relatively new to the top of the elite target tournaments. LOGINOVA has a history of losing her first-round matches at World Cup Finals – and CERNE’s got a real shot in this one.

Advantage: CERNE

Storyline in short

The top half of the brackets (matches one and two in the first round) doesn’t have the pedigree of the bottom. It’s an imbalance that will likely see Sara LOPEZ – who is the top seed – make her first Archery World Cup Final gold medal match.

Who emerges out of JONES, USQUIANO, CERNE and LOGINOVA as her challenger will have had a tougher path to the final – and give the 15-arrow match world record holder a real dogfight.

Predicting the final: CERNE versus LOPEZ?

Last year, rookie finalist USQUIANO won the compound women’s World Cup crown. Toja will need to beat some heavy-hitters to be the second first-time finalist in two years to win the circuit.

The brand-new world field champion – she led Zagreb 2014 from start to finish – has the tools to do it, if she keeps her head together.

The 2014 Archery World Cup Final is on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September. Compound competition is on the first day and recurve on the second. Read news, buy tickets and follow World Archery’s coverage on Facebook and @worldarchery on Twitter.