Macau Open marks second event of 2019 Indoor Archery World Series

The Indoor Archery World Series was launched with multiple levels of tournaments – 250, 500 and 1000 – corresponding to the number of ranking points available to the winners at the events.

A run of three 250 tournaments start the calendar. The first, the GT Open in Luxembourg, already took place; the second is this stop in Macau, and the third takes us to the Roma Archery Trophy in another two weeks’ time.

As expected, these entry-level international events have attracted a regional crowd.

While a large part of the entry list at the GT Open was European, the majority of the line-up in Macau is from Asia, with strong showings from China, Hong Kong and local archers.

All will be trying their luck in one of two circuit events held in a casino – with the final still planned for Las Vegas.

Factsheet: Macau Indoor Open 2018

• Venue: The Venetian
• Dates: 1-2 December
• Number of athletes: 200 (76 recurve men, 36 recurve women, 75 compound men, 13 compound women)
• Points: 250 series ranking points for a division winner; top 16 finishers score
• Streaming: Live medal matches start at 6h00 GMT/14h00 CST on Sunday 2 December – watch on World Archery’s Facebook page or YouTube channel

Schedule

Saturday 1 December: qualification, first-round eliminations and secondary tournament

Sunday 2 December: secondary tournament, eliminations and finals (medal matches start at 6h00 GMT/14h00 CST)

Circuit leaders

• Recurve men: Steve Wijler – 250 points (not competing)
• Recurve women: Casey Kaufhold – 250 points (not competing)
• Compound men: Domagoj Buden – 250 points (not competing)
• Compound women: Toja Ellison – 250 points (not competing)

Favourites

Korean pro team Hyundai Steel headline the recurve men’s entry list, with the team’s two Olympic Champions in Oh Jin Hyek and Ku Bonchan. Han Jaeyeop, who beat Brady Ellison to win the Indoor Archery World Cup Final in Vegas earlier in 2018, is also on that roster.

Potential challengers include French Olympic silver medallist Jean-Charles Valladont and Australia’s Dave Barnes, who returned to compete internationally in 2018 after nearly a decade away from the sport.

Runner-up at the first leg of this tour, Gabriela Bayardo, has a chance to jump into a big lead in the women’s rankings in Macau. 

Korean international Jung Dasomi, Russian international Sayana Tsyrempilova and Laura Bennett Shelton – who won a couple of gold medals at this year’s world masters and attracted attention with her unique skirt-quiver clothing combination – will also contest the top end of the points.

Vegas Champion Alexis Ruiz is a clear favourite in the compound women’s event. Iraqi archer Fatimah Almashhadani, however, has podiumed on the outdoor world circuit before.

Compound men’s world number one Mike Schloesser had a rough loss to Stephan Hansen in the GT Open quarterfinals, being beaten by a better 10 in a shoot-off after tying on 149 points in regulation.

Will his luck fare better against top groups from Korea, Iran and India? Kim Jongho, Omid Taheri and Abhishek Verma are all tough match-ups.

The Macau Indoor Open is the second stage of the 2019 Indoor Archery World Series.