Guatemala host’s Flossbach beats Alvarez to gold

Head and body images courtesy the Guatemalan Olympic Committee.

Guatemalan recurve man Thomas Flossbach beat Mexico’s Luis Alvarez to gold at the Sports Festival and World Ranking Archery Tournament held in Guatemala City, from 29 June – 4 July, at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores stadium, the biggest sports venue in the country.

“I led the recurve men’s ranking round with 658 points, won gold against Luis Alvarez and finished sixth and fourth in with the men’s and mixed team, respectively,” said Thomas. “This competition has been by far the best and the biggest we have ever had in Guatemala with nearly 200 archers.”

Thomas and Luis’ four-set final went the former’s way, 6-2, as the local man shot a 28-point average set to his opponent’s 26.

“Two hours prior to the match, I was on the field shooting and relaxing in between ends as I was feeling a lot of pressure, but when the final started, I went into a state of numbness where I could only listen to my coach’s voice and the speaker,” said Thomas.

His strategy for winning his first-ever major continental final, and against the reigning Pan American Games Champion? “I just focused on making each arrow better than the last one.”

Prior to this world ranking event on home soil, Thomas won an individual bronze and a team gold at the Pan American Championships in Costa Rica in 2016.

Olympian Ernesto Boardman took recurve men’s bronze and his Mexican compatriots a sweep of the recurve women’s podium, courtesy of Alejandra Valencia, Aida Roman and Mariana Avitia.

The Sports Festival and World Ranking Archery Tournament in Guatemala City involved 185 archers from 17 countries and awarded 86 spots for the Barranquilla 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Colombia and Mexico won 12 spots each; Venezuela, Guatemala and Dominican Republic, 11 each; Puerto Rico, 10; El Salvador, nine and Cuba, six. Costa Rica, Guadalupe, US Virgin Islands and Martinique each took qualified one quota place.

Fourteen more places remain, available at a second qualifying tournament yet to be confirmed.