Schloesser makes it seven in a row, tops qualification in Medellin

Mike Schloesser and Ella Gibson have topped compound qualification for the second consecutive event at the fourth and last stop of the 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Medellin, Colombia.

Both world number ones scored 712 out of a possible 720 points for the 72-arrow 50-metre round.

Schloesser has now seeded top in all four stages this season – but the streak stretches back even further since he also seeded top in all three events held in 2021. That’s seven pole positions in a row from the archer known as Mister Perfect.

“I am really happy, I came here to extend the streak,”  said Schloesser, who surged back from eighth at the halfway point (354 points) with a field-leading 358 for the back 36 arrows. “I was kind of nervous this morning and that’s why I had a bad start but later on I found my groove and I ended on top.”

Schloessers scores to seed top over the past two years have never dipped below 710. He’s shot 711 (Antalya), 710 (Gwangju) and 717 (Paris) this season and 717 (Guatemala), 716 (Lausanne) and 715 (Paris) in 2021.

The last time he wasn’t in pole was in 2019 when Domagoj Buden’s 691 in the wind beat Schloesser’s 690 in Berlin at stage four. (The circuit was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.)

“If it’s windy, or like today, changing conditions, I’m always, like, if I make a mistake or something unlucky happens like bad timing or something like that, I try to make it not affect me,” said Schloesser, when asked the secret of his success. “When I shoot a nine for example I don’t get angry or upset about it, I’m just like ‘okay, the next one let’s go’.”

Like Schloesser, Gibson has already won two stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup in 2022 and already has her ticket to this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Tlaxcala. She is undoubtedly in the form of her life. 

Her 712-point round was a career-best and beats the European record she shot last month in Paris.

But Gibson wasn’t satisfied with her round. After shooting 359 out of a possible 360 for the first 36 arrows, she looked odds-on to break Sara Lopez’s world record of 713 points – and on Lopez’s home ground, too. (Her record was actually set on this very field in 2015.)

As the back half of qualifying progressed, Ella began dropping points. She needed a 60 from her last end – but dropped two nines.

“To be honest, I’m feeling pretty angry and disappointed with myself. I was really close to the world record and I feel like I let it slip again so I’m probably not as happy as maybe I should be,” said Gibson, who became world number one for the first time on Monday, knocking Lopez off the top spot.

After dropping just one point in the first half, the 22-year-old dropped seven in the second.

“Mainly just a lot of nerves, uncertainty,” said Gibson, when asked what happened. “There was wind and stuff like that to deal with, but it’s been like that full throughout the round. The heat is definitely something that is tricky to deal with and hard to keep your muscles in good condition.”

“I started shaking which I think was partly nerves and partly a little bit of a lack of electrolytes. I'm going try and keep myself on top of that as best I can for the rest of the week.”

It wasn’t Lopez who was the highest-seeded Colombian compound woman – she took fifth with 698 – but 2013 Archery World Cup Champion Alejandra Usquiano, instead. She scored 699 points and qualified third.

“I felt very good in the second half, except in the last round where I had in my mind the idea of shooting 700 points and it didn’t go well,” said Usquiano. “Although I seeded in the top eight and that gives me peace of mind. At the end of this day, I am more confident than I was this morning and I hope to continue like this all week.”

There was one more notable result during compound qualifying. Denmark’s Mathias Fullerton became the first archer to qualify for the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final after securing bonus points for his seeding. His two bonus points make him mathematically safe from elimination for taking a points ticket to Tlaxcala, subject to confirmation at the end of the event. 

Competition in Medellin continues on Wednesday morning with compound team eliminations and bronze medal matches.

Top seeds: Compound men

1. Mike Schloesser, Netherlands – 712 (8 circuit ranking points)
2. James Lutz, USA – 711 (7 points)
3. Jozef Bosansky, Slovakia – 710 (6 points)
4. Nicolas Girard, France – 709 (5 points)
5. Braden Gellenthien, USA – 708 61 10s (4 points)
6. Nico Wiener, Austria – 708 60 10s (4 points)
7. Julio Barillas, Guatemala – 707 60 10s (2 points)
8. Mathias Fullerton, Denmark – 707 59 10s (2 points)

Top seeds: Compound women

1. Ella Gibson, Great Britain – 712 (8 circuit ranking points)
2. Dafne Quintero, Mexico – 704 (7 points)
3. Alejandra Usquiano, Colombia – 699 53 10s (6 points)
4. Tanja Gellenthien, Demark – 699 51 10s (6 points)
5. Sara Lopez, Colombia – 698 51 10s (4 points)
6. Andrea Becerra, Mexico – 698 50 10s (4 points)
7. Pragati, India – 696 50 10s (2 points)
8. Mariana Bernal, Mexico – 696 49 10s 19 Xs (2 points)
9. Isabelle Carpenter, Great Britain – 696 49 10s 17 Xs (2 points)