Joan Pauner, Aude Ama and Robin Gardeur all won individual world titles at the 2017 World Archery 3D Championships in Robion, France to push the host nation to the top of the medal table at the tournament.
“Believe it to the end and reach the roof of the world,” wrote compound women’s winner Ama on her Facebook page.
Ama beat defending champion Anne Lantee of Finland in the final, 40-30, after the latter scored a miss on the second target of the match. Each of the medals was decided on a four-target course, with archers shooting one arrow per target.
Pauner won compound men’s gold over Denmark’s Jozsef Csikos, 43-38, and Gardeur took his longbow victory by beating Mikhail Poddevalin of Russia, 32-28.
France also had a silver medal in the instinctive women’s competition courtesy Marjorie Puech and men’s team bronze.
World champion titles were also claimed by Spain’s Cesar Vera Bringas, Sweden’s Jessica Lindblom, Giulia Barbaro of Italy, Denmark’s Zibrandt Christensen and Austria’s Heldis Zahlberger.
Kristina Heigenhauser, the 2013 World Archery Champion in the compound women’s competition who was competing in the barebow event in Robion, left with a silver medal. The number two seed beat Russian archer Maria Savenkova in the semifinals but couldn’t hold off fifth-ranked Lindblom in the final.
Italy, historically successful in 3D archery, collected six medals at the tournament, four of them bronze.
The 2017 World Archery 3D Championships ran 18-23 September in Robion, France.
