6 under-18 archers at their 1st senior worlds

There were 11 athletes in competition at the 2017 Hyundai World Archery Championships in Mexico City born in 2000 or after.

1. Born in 21st century

Eleven archers competing in Mexico City were born in this 21st century, nine athletes in 2000 and two in 2001. All under 18 years of age, they are still eligible to shoot as cadets – but competed with seniors at these championships.

2. youngest v oldest

The two youngest archers on the field, who turned 16 in June and August, respectively, were compound man Luis Daniel Mora Mora from Costa Rica and compound woman Amanda Mlinaric of Croatia.

On the day of her birthday, Amanda was travelling to Germany to compete in her first international and World Cup event.

“My expectations are pretty much the same as in Berlin,” Amanda said. “I don't expect medal matches here, just to shoot some good shots and to gain some experience.”

Fifty-six years separated these youngsters from the eldest competitor in Mexico City, New Zealander Barbara Scott, born in 1945 and who’ll turn 72 years old in December.

3. Novices

Three of the young competitors made their debut on the world scene in Mexico:

• Kristina Abramaityte, Lithuania 
• Hsu Yen-Hua, Chinese Taipei 
• Luis Daniel Mora Mora, Costa Rica 

“It’s a nice experience to have the chance to meet so many archers I only saw on the internet before and never expected to meet,” said Luis. “This tournament will help me grow more, and I know one day I’ll be a good archer, a world champion.”

4. Most experienced

Brazil's Marcelo Costa was the most experienced internationally of these 21st-century-born archers. He shot in the World Archery Youth Championships in Yankton in 2015 and Rosario in 2017, as well as on the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit since 2015.

Erdal Meric Dal of Turkey and Great Britain's Lucy Mason also shot at Yankton and Rosario, and made their World Cups debut in 2017.

5. From Rosario

The 2017 World Archery Youth championships took place in Rosario on 2-8 October – and many athletes travelled straight from Argentina to Mexico, six of them cadets:

• LUCY MASON, GREAT BRITAIN 
• BRYAN ALVARADO, PUERTO RICO 
• MARCELO COSTA, Brazil 
• Erdal MERIC DAL, TURKEY 
• OSKAR KASPROWSKI, POLAND 
• ALEXANDRA POLLUMAE, ESTONIA 

Both Mason and Alvarado arrived in Mexico as cadet world champions.

6. World Cup touch

Some teams used the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit to prepare young athletes for the senior worlds. Seven of the 11 cadet in Mexico had prior experience on the circuit.

Marcelo Costa competed in Salt Lake City; Erdal Meric Dal shot in Shanghai, Antalya and Berlin; and Lucy Mason in Antalya and Berlin. Four others made their debuts at the fourth stage in Germany: Oskar Kasprowski, Amanda Mlinaric, Alexandra Pollumae and Alex Wise.

The 2017 Hyundai World Archery Championships ran 15-22 October in Mexico City, Mexico.