Samsun 2018 competition preview #1: Compound women

Sara Lopez is the undisputed queen of the compound women’s division, especially at this competition. She’s won three of the last four Hyundai Archery World Cup Finals – in 2014, 2015 and 2017 – and she missed 2016 for personal reasons.

Unbeaten in international matchplay throughout 2018, Lopez faces stiff competition for her fourth title in Samsun, not least from the reigning world number one who represents host Turkey.

Yesim Bostan will attempt to become the first archer representing a home nation at the World Cup Final to win an individual gold medal at the event.

Stat-sheet #1: Compound women

• Number of athletes: 8
• Number of nations: 7
• Defending champion: Sara Lopez, Colombia
• World number one: Yesim Bostan, Turkey
• Competition start: 10am CET Saturday 29 September

Qualifiers

(World ranking is given in brackets after each athlete’s name. Average arrow given for 50-metre ranking rounds and matches, match wins and tiebreaks at world ranking level and above. Statistics may not be complete.)

YESIM BOSTAN, Turkey (1)

Bostan won her first stage of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya in 2018, qualifying her for the final. Up to the top spot in the compound women’s world rankings, she’s shooting the best arrows of her career this season.

• Average arrow: season – 9.69; career – 9.55
• Match wins: season – 19-7 (73%); career – 64-33 (66%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 2-2 (50%); career – 5-6 (45%)

SARA LOPEZ, Colombia – top seed (2)

Hyundai Archery World Cup Final Champion in 2014, 2015 and 2017, Lopez needs one more trophy to match Brady Ellison’s world-leading four titles (assuming he doesn’t win another in Samsun, too).

Ranked number two in the world after only shooting two World Cup stages in 2018, Lopez hasn’t been beaten in head-to-head matchplay this year. Bostan and So Chaewon represent her two biggest challengers in Samsun, with both performing at a similar level on arrow-per-arrow average.

• Average arrow: season – 9.71; career – 9.65
• Match wins: season – 20-0 (100%); career – 125-22 (85%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 1-0 (100%); career – 4-5 (44%)

SOPHIE DODEMONT, France – second seed (3)

What better way to celebrate a return to the international circuit? Dodemont left the scene in 2014, only to rejoin the French team at the start of this year. She won stage four in Berlin and qualified for her first Hyundai Archery World Cup Final.

(She also shot in Paris in 2013, but received a host nation spot.)

• Average arrow: season – 9.59; career – 9.57
• Match wins: season – 16-5 (76%); career – 27-14 (66%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 2-1 (67%); career – 3-2 (60%)

SO CHAEWON, Korea (5)

Bronze medals in Shanghai and Antalya – the two stages the Korean compound archers attended in 2018 – were Chaewon’s first individual podium finishes at world events.

She’s been a consistent high-scorer over the last two seasons – but has suffered tight losses in matchplay. Her two defeats on this World Cup circuit came to Bostan (143-142 in Antalya) and Lopez (144-143 in Shanghai).

• Average arrow: season – 9.71; career – 9.68
• Match wins: season – 15-5 (75%); career – 36-15 (71%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 3-0 (100%); career – 5-1 (83%)

CHEN YI-HSUAN, Chinese Taipei (7)

It’s a second Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in a row for Shanghai silver medallist Chen, who finished sixth in Rome last year. The 23-year-old is the only compound woman to have not lost a tiebreak in her international career.

• Average arrow: season – 9.58; career – 9.49
• Match wins: season – 14-5 (74%); career – 35-15 (70%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 4-0 (100%); career – 7-0 (100%)

LINDA OCHOA-ANDERSON, Mexico (9)

The uber-experienced Ochoa-Anderson has been to four Hyundai Archery World Cup Finals including this one (2010, 2011, 2015, 2018). Her highest finish to date came on home soil in Mexico City in 2015, where she finished third.

• Average arrow: season – 9.58; career – 9.51
• Match wins: season – 16-9 (64%); career – 119-73 (62%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 1-1 (50%); career – 8-4 (67%)

MARCELLA TONIOLI, Italy (11)

The 2016 Hyundai Archery World Cup Champion finished top 10 at three stages in 2018, including a bronze to finish the season in Berlin. Her qualification to Samsun was actually out of her hands in the end, with Dodemont’s victory at stage four finally securing the space. It would be ironic if they were then to meet here.

• Average arrow: season – 9.46; career – 9.49
• Match wins: season – 13-7 (65%); career – 91-53 (63%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 2-0 (100%); career – 10-3 (77%)

GIZEM ELMAAGACLI, Turkey – host representative (32)

Undeniably an underdog in Samsun, world-number-32 Gizem received the host nation spot opened up by Bostan qualifying as a stage winner – meaning Turkey has two compound women at this Hyundai Archery World Cup Final.

At just 20 years of age, she really has nothing to lose. It’ll be a great experience and anything can happen over 15 arrows.

• Average arrow: season – 9.52; career – 9.52
• Match wins: season – 6-6 (50%); career – 9-10 (47%)
• Tiebreak wins: season – 2-0 (100%); career – 2-1 (67%)

The 2018 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final takes place on 29-30 September in Samsun, Turkey.