World Games archery preview #3: Barebow men

Read the rest of our event previews:

• #1 Recurve men (18 July)
• #2 Recurve women (19 July)
• #3 Barebow men (20 July)
• #4 Barebow women (21 July)
• #5 Compound men (22 July)
• #6 Compound women (23 July)

Event: #3 Barebow men

• Number of athletes: 12
• Number of nations: 11
• Defending Champion: Giuseppe Seimandi
• World Champion: Erik Jonsson

The one-to-beat

Italy’s Giuseppe Seimandi has won gold in the barebow men’s competition at the last two editions of the World Games, in 2009 and 2013 – taking it away from Erik Jonsson, who was victorious in the event in 2001 and 2005.

The story

Since the barebow field archery world champion was first crowned in 1969, 15 of the 25 titles have gone to a Swede – and Jonsson and Martin Ottosson have combined for five of those.

The pre-eminent nation in the division, winning World Games gold medals in 1985, 1997, 2001 and 2005, Sweden’s pair will do their very best to reclaim this crown from Seimandi. If Jonsson can reclaim gold, he’ll equal teammate Morgan Lundin’s record of three World Games wins (1993, 1997, 2005). 

No archer from outside Europe has ever climbed the barebow men’s podium at the World Games. Archers representing Sweden, Great Britain, Austria, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have previously taken medals.

The athletes

MICHAEL FISHER
Australia 

Experience: International medallist

Intel: The fourth place finisher at Dublin 2016, 48-year-old Fisher collected a bronze medal at the 2014 World Archery Field Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. He did not compete in either of the last two editions of the World Games.

MARSELL URL
Austria 

Experience: International since 2016

Intel: Twenty-nine year old Url made his international debut in Dublin in 2016, finishing 11th. Austrian archer Wolfgang Sedmak won this competition at the World Games back in 1989.

DAVID GARCIA FERNANDEZ
Spain 

Experience: World Games runner-up (2013), World Archery 3D Champion (2013), international medallist

Intel: The returning silver medallist at the World Games also finished second at the World Archery Field Championships in 2016 following a team gold medal at the 2015 World Archery 3D Championships in Terni, Italy.

PASI AHJOKIVI
Finland 

Experience: World Games runner-up (2009), World Archery Field Champion (2010)

Intel: This 47-year-old Finn has come close to winning the World Games before. He qualified second in 2009, then beat Italian Sergio Cassiani in the semis before losing, 57-53, to Giuseppe Seimandi in the final. He won the worlds one year later.

OLIVIER ROY
France

Experience: International team medallist

Intel: World team gongs, including bronze at the world field in 2012 and silver in 2014, adorn Roy’s medal cabinet. The Frenchman has finished just outside the individual medals at the World Archery Field Championships twice: he came fourth in 2012 and sixth in 2016 – and had the same luck at the World Games. Despite qualifying second in 2013, he lost both his semifinal – to Garcia Fernandez – and bronze medal match – to Bobby Larsson – to finish fourth.

ISTVAN KAKAS
Hungary 

Experience: International since 2001

Intel: The fifth-placed finished at the World Games in 2013, Kakas is an experienced field archer who’s been on the scene for nearly two decades.

GIUSEPPE SEIMANDI
Italy 

Experience: World Games Champion (2009, 2013), World Archery Field Champion (2006), World Archery 3D Champion (2007)

Intel: A world champion who has won the last two editions of the World Games, holding off strong challengers from Scandinavia to do so. Also a compound archer indoors, Seimandi qualified nearly 20-points higher than his nearest competitor in Cali in 2013. The fifth finisher in Dublin, Seimandi also has world field silver and bronze medals to go with his win in 2006.

MATEUSZ SIEJKO
Poland 

Experience: International since 2016

Intel: Dublin was Mateusz’ first international event and the 29-year-old represents Poland in Wroclaw via the host nation quota place. Siejko came 38th at the 2016 World Archery Field Championships.

KAROLY KOROKNAY
Serbia 

Experience: International since 2016

Intel: Also a first-timer in Dublin, Koroknay makes his World Games debut in Wroclaw in 2017.

ERIK JONSSON
Sweden 

Experience: World Games Champion (2001, 2005), World Archery Field Champion (1998, 2004, 2014, 2016)

Intel: One of the most decorated barebow and field archers in history, two-time World Games winner Jonsson drew level with Swedish teammate Anders Rosenberg for the most world titles in the history of the field world championships on four. Erik did not compete at the World Games in 2009 or 2013, but returns in 2017 to reclaim his crown. 

MARTIN OTTOSSON
Sweden 

Experience: World Archery Field Champion (2002)

Intel: Another of Sweden’s world champion in the division, Ottosson finished third in Dublin – two years after a second place in Zagreb – and 14 after his gold medal in Canberra. Ottosson finished fourth at the 2013 World Games.

JOHN DEMMER III
USA 

Experience: International team medallist

Intel: The top-qualifier and team gold medallist in Dublin 2016, 37-year-old Demmer III makes his World Games debut in 2017. He was named as an archer to watch in 2017 by Archery 360.

The prediction

All we can hope for is a Seimandi-Jonsson final. Both on two wins apiece at the World Games, a decider on who moves ahead in the all-time medal table at the competition, since neither has collected any other medal than gold there.

Jonsson is in the better recent form – and one of the best barebow archers in history – after winning his second consecutive and fourth total world title.

The barebow field archery competition at the Wroclaw 2017 World Games starts on 26 July in Szczytnicki Park.