Tiebreak artist Canales deploys mature mindset to beat pressure

Elia Canales is having a career year in 2023.

The 22-year-old is up to sixth in the Sanlida World Archery Rankings, having recently finished second at the European Games and winning Spain an early quota place to the Paris 2024 Olympics during competition in Krakow.

(That ticket to the next Games won’t become official until after August’s world championships, but it’s there!)

She’s posted two consistent results at the two stages of the Hyundai Archery World Cup she’s attended, too – an eighth in Antalya, followed by a ninth in Shanghai.

Canales has proven herself worthy of a place among the world elite. Her eyes now, turn towards Paris, having missed out on an opportunity to represent Spain at the last Games in Tokyo.

“It would be an amazing experience. It’s a huge event, so it would be great to be there, and I'll do my best,” she says. “I think every archer dreams about it.”

With the individual place secured – Canales and her compatriots can focus on booking a team ticket.

“I don’t think that thinking about qualifying is helpful. I have to do my best and work for it,” she says. “If I qualify, it’s good, and if I don’t, then I have to work more and improve more things.”

Since making her international debut in 2019, Canales has shown consistent improvement.

Her average arrow – an excellent indicator of overall performance – has risen steadily, from 8.81 (2019) to around 8.90 (2021/2022) and now up to 9.07 at the halfway point of the 2023 season.

“I push myself to the top, but I don't think about the results, only about the things I need to do and can control,” she says.

But there’s another indicator that screams imminent success for the youngster from Tarragona. Born and raised in the age of archery matchplay and the set system, she’s unbeatable when the pressure is on.

Since 2021, she hasn’t lost an individual tiebreak. Seven wins, zero losses.

“I try to get into my own world while shooting. I focus on my process and all the things I’ve worked on,” she explains. “I focus on the things I can control.”

“I can’t control the points or the results of others.”

“If I start worrying about those things,” she adds. “I won’t focus on what’s important. I won’t focus on myself.”

And that attitude is why the best for Canales is still to come.