A bad day is not the end says 3-time circuit champion Lopez

World number two Sara Lopez did not have her best day during qualifying at the first stage of the 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai, China.

It wasn’t a disaster, but it also wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from the world record holder.

She scored 689 out of a possible 720 points, on her 23rd birthday no less, to rank 24th in the compound women’s field at the first stage of her sixth season on the Hyundai Archery World Cup tour.

(She’s won it three times.)

Used to qualifying in the top spots, Lopez said it was a “weird day”.

“I let the weather affect me. It was too cold, and even though it was my birthday and I wanted to do well, I shot bad.”

Everyone has a bad day and disappointment in performance is something every athlete has to deal with at some point in their career.

“The key is focusing on what you can make better rather than the scores, because even if you have a bad day you can shoot better in the matches,” said Lopez, who won her first round match against Le Phuong Thao of Vietnam, 144-143, shortly after qualification in Shanghai.

(Following an expansion of the number of teams shooting eliminations in 2018, schedules have been adjusted, with a test run of splitting qualifications over two days and athletes shooting early-round matches straight afterwards.)

“When I started shooting internationally, if I had a bad round I felt terrible, gave up and thought it was the end for me,” said Lopez. 

“Ever since I’ve improved this and working on staying positive, things have been much easier and better in competition, and afterwards. And when one competition doesn’t work, there’s another one to move on to.”

The defending Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion, Lopez will only shoot in two stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup circuit in 2018, making every competition vital if she wants to qualify for yet another Final.

Overcoming a less-than-expected start will be critical if she wants to make the most of the rest of the competition in Shanghai.

The first stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup takes place in Shanghai, China on 23-29 April.