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Barebow couple Jonsson, Bjorklund win first field world pairs title

8 October 2022

Yankton, South Dakota, USA

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Lina Bjorklund and Erik Jonsson celebrate winning pairs world title.

The first-ever mixed team world titles were awarded in the discipline of field archery during team finals day at the 2022 World Archery Field Championships in Yankton, USA.

Couple Erik Jonsson and Lina Bjorklund – the defending individual world champions arriving at the event – collected the first barebow pairs crown for the category’s leading nation, Sweden.

“It feels fantastic,” said Bjorklund. “We said it would be nice to shoot a world championship final just the two of us.”

“A dream come true,” added Jonsson.

Neither of the pair seeded top in their individual categories in Yankton but the Swedish team replaced their strongest qualifiers in the pairs line-up with the couple, both proven winners at the international level. It was, arguably, so they could shoot together in what they are tentatively calling their last world field championships.

Italy won recurve mixed team gold and the host’s Paige Pearce and Dave Cousins, who will both shoot in the individual finals tomorrow, dominated en route to the compound mixed team title.

The men’s and women’s team medals were also awarded in the four-target arena set behind the Easton NFAA Yankton Archery Centre.

Teams in field archery consist of one recurve, one compound and one barebow archer shooting together. Sweden took the men‘s title for the first time in 20 years (since Canberra 2002), while Italy collected women’s gold.

Chiara Rebagliati has already won two world titles at this event – in the pairs and team events – and will shoot for individual gold tomorrow.

That recurve women’s final is a rematch of the final of the World Games held earlier this summer. Rebagliati will face British world number two (and number two seed) Bryony Pitman, with a chance at sweeping the medals in Yankton – by topping the third of three possible podiums.

“I’m very happy,” said Chiara. “Last year we won the European title and this year the world title, we’ve grown up.”

Rebagliati, like barebow teammate Cinzia Noziglia, enters Sunday afternoon’s individual final as the top seed.

The finals field at these championships is unusual. Set in place of a permanent 3D archery range at the archery centre in Yankton, the first two (of four) finals targets – short and then long – are shot from pegs set on a raised platform.

The third target is flat but the fourth is raised on a crane, which is lifted up and down for scoring.

“Our match really took a swing on the last target, which was the most challenging out there,” said compound mixed team winner and exceptionally experienced field archer Cousins. “It came down to experience.”

One day remains on the schedule at these championships with plenty at stake. Cousins could win his first world field title since 2010 (and third career); Paige Pearce could defend her world title, won four years ago; and Noziglia could complete a historic triple, should she add the field world title to the 3D and World Games crowns.

Competition in Yankton concludes with individual finals on Sunday.