Unruh shoots 5 to Folkard’s 3; wins World Games title

Olympic silver medallist Lisa Unruh took the recurve women’s gold medal at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, shooting a five to defending champion Naomi Folkard’s three in a single-arrow shoot-off that decided the title.

“I wanted my last arrow to be strong and it was,” said Unruh. “I don’t know why I started so high with a three. Maybe my aiming was not correct because my shots felt good but landing on the wrong side. I’m relieved I could correct it.”

Unruh was three points down after the first target, 14-11; then shot another two threes in the second target, giving the Brit a 23-27 advantage.

Folkard’s group widened on the third target, while the Olympic silver medallist found the middle to level things at 39 points each. That held for the fourth and final target, too, with both archers finishing the match on 52. Shoot-off.

Lisa shot first, and shot a five, Naomi loosed a low three.

“[My] first World Games final, medal and title,” said Lisa. “I’ll take it!”

Folkard had a chance to win the match with her last arrow of regulation if she shot a five, and avoid the tiebreaker, but said she was too soft with her last shot.

“I’m a little bit sad about that last arrow,” she said. “It should have been stronger. I got a bit nervous. My arms weren’t listening to me, I was too nervous. I’m upset about not winning it, not because I was defending the title, but because I just wanted to win it.”

Italy’s Jessica Tomasi beat Austrian woman Laurence Baldauff, 51-50, in the bronze medal match.

Both Tomasi and Folkard have medalled in the field archery competition at each of the last three editions of the World Games: In Kaohsiung in 2009, at Cali 2013 and, now, in Wroclaw in 2017.

The recurve field archery competition at the Wroclaw 2017 World Games ran 23-26 July in Szczytnicki Park.