Tonioli to defend World Cup title in Rome

Italy has revealed the names of the four individual athletes and two mixed teams that will represent the host country at the 2017 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Rome on 2/3 September, and among them is defending champion Marcella Tonioli.

Winner of last season’s final in Odense, Denmark – her third podium but first individual gold medal at the event – Tonioli started slowly on the 2017 circuit. She collected a lone ranking point at stage three before a seventh place in Berlin pushed her up to 22nd in the circuit leaderboard.

With no chance of qualifying on points, the Italian federation used its spot in the compound women’s event – the nation that hosts the event gets one in each division – to ensure Marcella has a chance to defend her title.

All four reigning circuit champions – Tonioli, Mike Schloesser, Brady Ellison and Ki Bo Bae – will now return to defend their titles in the Stadio dei Marmi.

Federico Pagnoni, David Pasqualucci and Lucilla Boari will represent Italian interests in the other three individual competitions; Alberto Simonelli and Irene Franchini will shoot as the compound mixed team and Mauro Nespoli and Vanessa Landi the recurve.

Pagnoni is a European compound mixed team champion and world record holder.

Pasqualucci, 21, and Boari, 20, made their Olympic debuts at Rio 2016, and are regarded as the future of the Italian recurve team.

Rome 2017: Italian archers

Recurve: David Pasqualucci (man), Lucilla Boari (woman)

Recurve mixed team: Mauro Nespoli (mixed team), Vanessa Landi (mixed team)

Compound: Federico Pagnoni (man), Marcella Tonioli (woman)

Compound mixed team: Alberto Simonelli (mixed team), Irene Franchini (mixed team)

The 2017 Hyundai Archery World Cup Final takes place 2/3 September in Rome, Italy.