Lausanne 2014: mixed teams competition preview

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

Categories: compound women, compound men, recurve women, recurve men

Qualification story

Compound Mixed Team

Erika JONES and Bridger DEATON – at his first ever Archery World Cup Final – are favourite to win the Lausanne mixed team match held on Saturday early afternoon.

Team USA made three out of four podiums this year: silver at Shanghai stage – the first time JONES and DEATON shot together – bronze in Medellin and gold in Wroclaw. In Antalya they were fifth.

At Lausanne the mixed pair will attempt to give the United States their third title after Istanbul 2011 and Tokyo 2012 – and there’s no doubt they can make it: they qualified first by collecting 38 points, nine more than France, who held a lead heading into the last stage.

The thing is: for host country Switzerland – whose pair is composed of Clementine DE GUILI and Patrizio HOFER – the story is quite different… this is their first mixed team World Cup Final appearance.

Still, HOFER’s got international experience on different World Cup stages since 2007 – and he even shot to Dietmar TRILLUS (CAN) in the gold medal match at Lausanne 2008 Final. HOFER claimed silver.

Home soil is an asset for sure, but likely not enough to allow Switzerland to upset the USA.

Recurve Mixed Team

Next year's World Cup Final will take place in Mexico City. One of the reasons why the Central American country was selected is the number of Mexican archers who's been shooting so well for several years.

Two of them made Mexico’s mixed team: Olympic silver medallist Aida ROMAN and Eduardo VELEZ.

Mexico secured its spot at Lausanne World Cup Final with 36 points. The same pair won gold at Wroclaw by beating Russia's double.

If they win, this would be Mexico’s first mixed team World Cup title – and they have the numbers in favour.

The host nation pair is a showcase of young, Swiss athletes. It’ll be first World Cup appearances for Iliana DEINEKO and Florian FABER, who was seventh at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in August.

Match prediction

Saturday: USA versus Switzerland (compound)

USA’s mixed pair JONES and DEATON have all in favour: JONES is world’s number one, she is shooting on the individual finals, too – and has been on five World Cup mixed team podiums.

Her teammate DEATON had a great first World Cup season where he claimed gold with the men’s team at Medellin stage – and at Nimes, too.

True fact: Switzerland mixed team is quite unknown at World Cup finals…

Advantage: USA

Sunday: Mexico versus Switzerland (recurve)

Last time Mexico’s mixed team made the finals was Edinburgh 2010. This Sunday they are shooting to the unknown and youngest time ever Switzerland’s mixed team…

There’s not much to say but: this match-up looks rather one-sided.

Advantage: Mexico

Storyline in short

USA and Mexico have proven be strong in both recurve and compound divisions through years in World Cup finals. By shooting to the host nation – with no records at all in this competition – their advantage is clear.

So, no surprises: the Americas will likely pick up the mixed team titles at Lausanne 2014. But, for Switzerland, it’s a brilliant opportunity for two of their recurve archers of the future to gain experience on the biggest stage.

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.