Lopez 12-points clear atop Medellin qualifying

The 21-year-old posted 710 out of a possible 720 points in a balanced and consistent ranking round to take pole position in the compound women’s competition at the second stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Medellin.

Sara was 12 points clear of second-ranked archer Crystal Gauvin, from the USA, on 698. Sarah Sonnichsen, from Denmark, who Lopez beat in the final at stage one in Shanghai, ranked third on 696.

“I was really nervous at the beginning of the competition because of the weather yesterday,” admitted Sara. “We bought jackets and towels and everything to cover the bows.”

“When I woke up this morning, I told Alejandra [Usquiano] that we need to put shorts on. No pants today! The weather was perfect, if a little hot, but that’s how Medellin is. I love shooting here and my teammates did a great job so I’m happy with the work we’ve been doing these past weeks.”

The Colombian compound women’s team also took the top seed with 2087 total, made up of Lopez’s 710, Usquiano’s 689 and a 688 from Aura Maria Bravo, her best in international competition.

Crystal Gauvin advances in Medellin as second seed for the second stage in a row.

She was surprised with her Shanghai performance, saying she hadn’t expected such a high score, but disappointed with her shooting in Colombia.

“I got lazy this time, it should have been a lot higher. The conditions were good and I didn’t take advantage of them,” she said. “I’d have four good arrows each end and then I’d take it easy.”

“Sara and I talked in China that our goal here was to meet in the gold medal match so hopefully we can do that.”

Reigning World Archery Champion Stephan Hansen and the USA’s Alex Wifler tied Sara’s score – 710 – to lead the compound men’s ranking field. Wifler clinched the number one seeding on X10s, 33 to Hansen’s 32.

“The shots broke really well,” he said. “China was pretty perfect conditions, here was a bit windier. I tried to shoot a more aggressive shot and get the timing a little bit better.”

After qualifying second in Shanghai, Hansen made a shock exit from the competition in the third round when he recorded a miss in his first match. He had trouble with his release aid and he put an arrow off the target face on the boss.

The 20-year-old Dane was not phased.

“I trust my equipment. I changed my release a little, made it a little heavier so it doesn’t go off,” he explained. “But I’ll shoot exactly the same as I did in China.”

Mister Perfect, Mike Schloesser, who broke his own 72-arrow ranking round world record at stage one, setting it at 717, landed third, even after shooting a seven. He said he heard that the arrow had a loose vane as he let the arrow fly.

“I’d expect an arrow with a loose vane to hit the target maybe, just. So I was happy with the seven,” he said. It landed low and a bit right.

Schloesser has made no secret of his nerves under the spotlight in finals. He took gold in Shanghai but the gold medal match wasn’t up to his usual high-scoring standard. In Medellin, Mike said he’d stick with the approach that was working up until the finals and – if he makes it – try something new.

It’s never easy to make it through the brackets, though.

“If I’m shooting like this it’s definitely possible, but it’s always difficult to make the finals. There’s a lot of good archers here,” Mike said.

Wifler, along with Steve Anderson and Braden Gellenthien, who all ranked top-eight, took the top compound men’s team seed for the USA, headed of Denmark and the Netherlands. (The same order of nations as the top three in the individual competition.)