Who can win Olympic archery quota places at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima?

The 2019 Pan American Games in Lima also act as one of the Americas’ two direct continental qualification tournaments for the archery competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. There are four places available across the mixed team and individual competitions in the Peruvian capital.

Who can win them? Almost all of the 64 recurve archers competing.

Only two countries from the Americas secured Olympic places at the primary qualification tournament during the 2019 Hyundai World Archery Championships in ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The USA took a men’s spot thanks to Brady Ellison’s world title and Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia​ grabbed a women’s quota in the secondary tournament.

Teams can either win one or three places, the latter solely as a team, to the Games. Mexico cannot add a second women’s spot or the USA cannot a second men’s spot in Lima.

A total of 10 out of the 128 Olympic spaces are reserved solely for countries across the Americas in this continental phase of the Olympic qualification process. Four of those are available at these Pan American Games and six spots are up for grabs at the Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico on 23-29 March 2020.

The places in Lima will be decided during recurve finals on Sunday 11 August 2019. Competition will be fierce. Here’s how the quotas can be won.

Mixed team

The highest-ranked recurve mixed team at the 2019 Pan American Games receives two Olympic quota places – one in the men’s event and one in the women’s.

Due to the two Olympic spots already won by countries from the Americas, there are two situations in which the mixed team quota available in Lima is not fully awarded.

If Mexico wins: Mexico receives one men’s spot and a second women’s place is made available in the individual competition.

If the USA wins: the USA receives one women’s spot and a second men’s place is made available in the individual competition.

Individual

The highest-ranked individual archer in the recurve men’s and women’s events at the 2019 Pan American Games receives an Olympic quota place for their country.

Qualification in the individual competition is assessed after the mixed team event as the pairs results can affect how the places are assigned.

No archer that finishes outside the top four can win a quota place in Lima.

If the winner in the men’s event is from the USA or the country that won the mixed team place in Lima: Then the silver medallist wins the space. (If the same criteria apply then the place is assigned down to bronze.)

If the winner in the women’s event is from Mexico or the country that won the mixed team place in Lima: Then the silver medallist wins the space. (If the same criteria apply then the place is assigned down to bronze.)

Although not statistically likely, there are situations in which not all of the available places are awarded in Lima. For example, if the USA wins the mixed team and finishes first, second and third in the recurve men’s event: 

The USA would receive a women’s place for the mixed team gold and a second men’s spot would be made available in the individual competition. The USA athletes in first, second and third would not win the quota – so the fourth-place finisher would be given the space. The second men’s quota spot would not be awarded because no athlete outside the top four is eligible.

Any spots not awarded in Lima will be deferred and added to the number available at the final worldwide qualification tournament, which will be held during the third stage of the 2020 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Berlin, Germany.

The archery competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games take place on 6-11 August in Lima, Peru.