World Archery Field Championships individual finals: picking the winners

Individual finals at the Zagreb 2014 World Archery Field Championships are live on Archery TV – World Archery’s YouTube channel – today. Click to watch the junior and senior medal matches for free, over the internet.

The senior line-up includes three defending champions going for a second title in a row, two Archery World Cup Final qualifiers displaying multi-discipline prowess and a gold medal candidate that last made a world final 10 years ago.

Read on for the gold medal favourites…

Zagreb 2014 19-24 August
World Archery Field Championships

NEWS | RESULTS 
VIDEO | PHOTOS
Wed 20 Aug Qualification
Thu 21 Aug Qualification
Fri 22 Aug Elimination

Sat 23 Aug Team finals
LIVE: Team
Sun 24 Aug Individual finals
LIVE: Junior | Senior

See full schedule

Barebow women’s gold final: Lina BJORKLUND (SWE) vs Cinzia NOZIGLIA (ITA)

Reigning world field champ Lina BJORKLUND beat favourite Eleonora STROBBE (ITA) in the semifinals, 48-46. She’s shooting against Italian Cinzia NOZIGLIA for gold.

NOZIGLIA made the top eight thanks to a shoot-off and was ranked second during elimination two. In the semifinals, Cinzia beat Val d’Isere silver medallist Eliette LALOUER, from France.

Advantage: BJORKLUND

Barebow men’s gold final: Erik JONSSON (SWE) vs Martin OTTOSSON (SWE)

JONSSON and OTTOSSON: Two favourites and experienced Sweden archers shooting against each other. Both had big scores during the qualification and elimination rounds.

Barebow world champion in 2002, Martin OTTOSSON beat Michael FISHER (AUS), 56-50, in the semis. JONSSON beat Ben ROGERS 54-48.

Advantage: OTTOSSON

Recurve women’s gold final: Laure DELFAU (FRA) vs Lisa UNRUH (GER)

Qualified to shoot at the Lausanne 2014 World Cup final, Lisa UNRUH’s focus is target archery. She took a last minute decision to compete in the World Archery Field Championship in Zagreb where she led qualification with her teammate Elena RICHTER.

RICHTER crashed out in the eliminations, but UNRUH cruised through – then beat World Games winner Naomi FOLKARD (GBR) 54-53 in the semis.

Her opponent is Laure DELFAU, who beat Italian Anna BOTTO in a shoot-off for the honour.

Advantage: UNRUH

Recurve men’s gold final: JC VALLADONT (FRA) vs Brady ELLISON (USA)

The clash of the tournament: reigning world field champ JC VALLADONT and two-time Archery World Cup Final winner Brady ELLISON, on the hunt for his first individual world title.

Brady had the top 48-target qualification score, but VALLDONT was better on the marked course. ELLISON topped both eliminations, but Jean-Charles shot a ridiculously-high 68 out of a possible 72 points in the semifinals (four more than Brady).

Both want to win. Both are confident – and both are posting impressive results in Zagreb.

VALLADONT beat ELLISON to World Games gold in Cali one year ago. While Brady’s had a better World Cup season – he’s qualified for the Final – JC wasn’t far off.

If Jean-Charles VALLADONT wins this one, he’ll secure a legacy as one of the best field archers… ever.

Advantage: VALLADONT

Compound women’s gold final: Toja CERNE (SLO) vs Ivana BUDEN (CRO)

Lausanne World Cup finalist Slovenian Toja CERNE has been incredible this week. She led on both unmarked and marked qualification courses – and was the only compound woman to shoot over 400 on both.

Head and shoulders better than the rest of the field, she won both the first and second eliminations – then beat Sandrine VANDIONANT (FRA) in their semifinal.

Her gold medal opponent is Croatian Ivana BUDEN, the reigning world field champ who is aiming to defend her crown at home. She beat Christie RAVENSCROFT to advance to the final by just a single point.

Local soil must be a huge asset but if Toja continues to shoot like she has since Tuesday, she won’t be beaten.

Advantage: CERNE

Compound men’s gold final: Jesse BROADWATER (USA) vs Chris WHITE (GBR)

Jesse BROADWATER is the reigning field champion. He shot one of the highest ever field scores on record for unmarked distances, and then again same score at the marked one. Oh, and he already won the men’s team world title…

He’s shooting against Great Britain’s Chris WHITE, who won his own world field title 10 years ago in Croatia, for a second crown in a row.

BROADWATER’s in a league of his own, though. Old-hand WHITE will need a throwback performance to be in with a chance.

Advantage: BROADWATER

Watch senior individual finals live from the Zagreb 2014 World Archery Field Championships on Archery TV. Follow live results and see news, World Archery’s coverage on Facebook and @worldarchery on Twitter.