Wroclaw recurve Sunday: SEGINA’s big test; Mexico teams in three gold finals

It’s the only spot that matters still to be decided in the Archery World Cup rankings: whether Russia’s European Champion Tatiana SEGINA finishes in eighth – where she currently sits, out of the Lausanne-qualifying top seven – or jumps one spot up.

It’s a pretty big motivation. Read on and discover if she’s tipped to do it…

Recurve men’s individual gold (afternoon session): NESPOLI (ITA) versus VAN DER VEN (NED)

A member of the Olympic Champion team at London 2012, Mauro NESPOLI has never been quite as successful individually as with his Italian teammates. He’s known for shooting a really high poundage bow, came fourth at the Europeans this year – and his best previous World Cup stage finish was a fourth place at Antalya in 2013.

Rick VAN DER VEN, who lost the bronze medal match at the last Olympics in a shoot-off, has been European team and individual champion and was third at Shanghai earlier this year.

The pair has faced each other only once before: here in Wroclaw last season, in the third round. Rick won, 6-2.

Advantage: VAN DER VEN

Recurve men’s individual bronze (afternoon session): DALMEIDA (BRA) versus VALLADONT (FRA)

Brazilian protégé Marcus DALMEIDA experienced his first finals field at Medellin, shooting against Korea for mixed team gold with partner Sarah NIKITIN. The 16-year old was obviously nervous then.

Whether he can check those nerves against world field champ Jean-Charles VALLADONT, who didn’t lose a set before the semifinals, will make the difference in this match.

Odds are on he can.

Advantage: DALMEIDA

Recurve women’s individual gold (afternoon session): XU (CHN) versus ROCHMAWATI (INA)

Indonesia’s Ika ROCHMAWATI ploughed through an all-star cast in her eliminations matches. She dispatched Olympic silver medallist and number two seed Aida ROMAN (MEX) in a fourth-round single-arrow shoot-off, world champ Maja JAGER (DEN) in the quarterfinals and European Champion Tatiana SEGINA in straight sets in the semis.

XU Jing came second at the last worlds in Belek and has an Olympic team silver medal. She clawed her semifinal match with Deepika KUMARI back to a 5-all draw, before winning a 10-plays-10 tiebreaker by slicing the X.

Odds on, XU becomes the next prestigious name on Ika’s head-hunted list at Wroclaw.

Advantage: ROCHMAWATI

Recurve women’s individual bronze (afternoon session): KUMARI (IND) versus SEGINA (RUS)

There’s nothing complicated about this match-up: if Tatiana SEGINA wins, she’ll have collected enough points to qualify for the World Cup Final in Lausanne.

If she loses, she hasn’t.

The European Champion won’t have an easy ride. Three-time World Cup Final silver medallist Deepika KUMARI has found her form after a terribly disappointing season, and is shooting in three medal matches at Wroclaw after qualifying first. (SEGINA’s in two.)

SEGINA’s got the tools to raise her game enough.

Advantage: SEGINA

Recurve mixed team gold (afternoon session): Mexico versus Russia

Mexico have never won mixed team gold at a World Cup stage. They came second in Shanghai and Antalya last year.

Tatiana SEGINA’s shooting in the European Champion team Russia – and she’ll use this match to warm up for her important individual bronze final against KUMARI.

Advantage: Mexico

Recurve men’s team gold (morning session): India versus Mexico

The Mexican men’s last and only team gold on the World Cup was at Medellin 2013. India, however, picked up five – five – stage wins between 2008 and 2010, and have been putting extra time in on the training field to prepare for the Incheon Asian Games later this year.

Both teams won two shoot-off tiebreakers to get to this final, which is too evenly matched to call.

Advantage: Push

Recurve women’s team gold (morning session): Mexico versus India

One of three finals pitting India against Mexico on Wroclaw recurve Sunday, Mexico have finished sixth, fourth and fifth at World Cup stages so far this year.

India, defending gold medallists at Wroclaw, buoyed by KUMARI’s resurgence might be too much for the underperforming (considering the talent of its individual parts) Mexico.

Advantage: India

Follow results from the last 2014 Archery World Cup stage in Wroclaw. Check World Archery’s news coverage, Facebook page and @worldarchery on Twitter.